Unraveling the Mind of Leonardo da Vinci: A Creative Genius with a Unique Perspective

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to read one non-fiction book chapter a day. We're heading into June, and I'm just about to start Chapter 18, so not entirely on track, but better than nothing!

The Story of Art:

I'm reading EH Gombrich's "The Story of Art." It was published in 1950 and has had fifteen subsequent editions; if you read the foreword, it's pretty clear that Gombrich was humbled by the book's staying power in a field that attracts so much interest.

The cover lets the book down; it combines a sandstone backdrop with hard-to-read white lettering and doesn't leave me optimistic about its readability.

However, Gombrich manages to take the massive subject of art and the history of art as he understood it at the time and pleasantly explains it to his reader. He really does turn it into a story.

I know that I'm waffling, but there is a point. Seventeen chapters later, I read about the Egyptians, Greeks, and Gothics, and finally, I started to recognise some of the artists' names. And at the Renaissance, Gombrich discusses Leonardo da Vinci. (Queue drumroll)

And it was while I was reading Gombrich's description of da Vinci:

He would start on a painting and leave it unfinished, despite the urgent requests of his patrons, and he refused to let it out of his hands unless he was satisfied with it. His contemporaries regretted the way in which this outstanding genius seemed to fritter away his time, moving restlessly from Florence to Milan, from Milan to Florence etc.

That a thought sparked in my mind. What if this genius who travelled from town to town, tried multiple experiments to find his own answers to problems, and excelled in numerous fields of research, only to lose interest and move on to the next thing - did, in fact, have undiagnosed ADHD?

I realise that pathologising people is having a bit of a moment, but it is a genuinely fascinating idea for me. Da Vinci left an indelible impact on humanity and our societies. Individuals who are neurodiverse often face challenges such as low self-esteem and struggle to recognise the potential strength in their differences.

In this blog post, I want to explore the intriguing possibility of Leonardo da Vinci's life and work from the perspective of someone with ADHD, imagining how this condition may have influenced his creative genius and artistic endeavours.

He was a genius whose powerful mind will always remain an object of wonder and admiration to ordinary mortals. -Gombrich in The Story of Art

Da Vinci and Neurodiversity: Examining the Possibility of ADHD

After a bit of sleuthing, I realised that I was not the first to consider the possibility that Leonardo da Vinci had ADHD. In an article from 2019, ScienceDaily interviewed Professor Catani from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London.

Professor Catani was quoted as saying:

Whilst impossible to make a post-mortem diagnosis for someone who lived 500 years ago, I am confident that ADHD is the most convincing and scientifically plausible hypothesis to explain Leonardo's difficulty in finishing his works. Historical records show Leonardo spent excessive time planning projects but lacked perseverance. ADHD could explain aspects of Leonardo's temperament and his strange, mercurial genius.

Leonardo da Vinci's pursuits were incredibly diverse. This can be seen to demonstrate a common trait amongst those with ADHD—the ability to apply hyperfocus to a topic and display a curiosity towards multiple diverse interests.

Da Vinci studied the development of the embryo in the womb. He explored the secrets of the human body by dissecting more than thirty corpses. He examined the dynamics of waves and currents. He meticulously observed and analysed the flight patterns of insects and birds. He thought it was the artist's business to explore the visible world, and these observations would later contribute to his visionary concepts for a flying machine, which he firmly believed would one day come to fruition. It is even thought that Da Vinci understood the heliocentric model of our solar system, predating Copernicus, as evidenced by his writing the words, "The sun does not move" onto a scrap of paper.

Leonardo da Vinci, 1510, Anatomical studies (larynx and leg), pen, brown ink and wash over black chalk on paper, Royal Library, Windsor Castle

Da Vinci's work patterns were characterised by inconsistency. His contemporaries regretted the way in which this outstanding genius seemed to squander his time, restlessly moving from Florence to Milan, from Milan to Florence, and even serving the notorious adventurer Cesare Borgia, then to Rome and finally to the court of King Francis I in France, where he died in 1519.

He would go through periods of intense productivity as evidenced by his many sketches and notebooks, however, da Vinci never published his writings. It is fortunate for us that many were preserved by his pupils and admirers. Thousands of pages were covered with writings and drawings, with excerpts from books Leonardo read and drafts for books he intended to write.

We can gain a limited insight into Leonardo da Vinci's working habits from Matteo Bandello, a contemporary and novelist who observed him during the creation of The Last Supper.

“I have also seen him, as the caprice or whim took him, set out at midday, […] from the Corte Vecchio, where he was at work on the clay model of the great horse, and go straight to the Grazie and there mount on the scaffolding and take up his brush and give one or two touches to one of the figures and suddenly give up and go away again.”

Leonardo Da Vinci's enduring prominence, even after hundreds of years, must surely be attributed to his remarkable creativity. Whilst not exclusively tied to people with ADHD, creativity is a trait commonly associated with the condition. Leonardo took an unconventional approach to art and science which can be seen to demonstrate an inclination towards impulsivity. He would often deviate from traditional techniques, embracing unorthodox methods to realise his vision.

If you take the Mona Lisa as an example.

Leonardo da Vinci, 1503 & 1506, Mona Lisa, oil on poplar wood, Louvre, France

In painting The Mona Lisa, da Vinci revolutionised the art world. With the Mona Lisa, he introduced an entirely new style of painting. The great observer of nature knew more about the way we use our eyes than anybody who had lived before him. He was familiar with the work of the Quattrocento masters and understood that they all had one thing in common; their figures appeared rigid, harsh, and almost lifeless. Da Vinci realised that this wasn't due to a lack of patience or skill by these other artists. Rather, he understood that the more meticulously an artist copied a figure, the less the viewer could imagine that the figure had ever really moved and breathed.

If you compare Da Vinci's Mona Lisa with one of his earlier works, The Annunciation:

Leonardo da Vinci, 1472, Annunciation, oil on panel, Uffizi Gallery

You can better understand how Da Vinci's style had developed. In "The Annunciation" you can see how da Vinci follows the prevalent artistic conventions of the time. The painting portrays a traditional religious theme. The figures are more static, their gestures and expressions restrained, and the composition is balanced and symmetrical. Artists had tried various ways to make their subject appear more lifelike.

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (c. 1484–1486). Tempera on canvas. 172.5 cm × 278.9 cm (67.9 in × 109.6 in). Uffizi, Florence

Botticeli with The Birth of Venus made an effort to emphasise the flowing hair and billowing garments. This was a clear attempt at softening the rigid outlines of the figures. Despite this, the characters appear fixed and immobile on the canvas.

Sfumato

But da Vinci found a true solution to the problem. Leonardo understood that the painter needed to leave something to the viewers imagination. If the outlines are not so firmly painted, if the form is left a little vague, then the minds eye is able to fill the rest in, to create life from a lifeless figure. This was Leonardo da Vinci's famous invention which the Italians call Sfumato - the blurred outlines and mellowed colours which enable one form to blend with another and invites our imagination to animate the images.

If you look once more at The Mona Lisa, you can see how he has left the corners of her eyes and mouth indistinct, allowing these features to merge into soft shadows. Moreover, the left side of the enchanting landscape she is depicted in front of, seems noticeably lower than the right side. As a result, Mona Lisa appears taller and more erect on the left, creating a subtle asymmetry. Her face is also slightly uneven, adding to this feeling that the viewer can never quite settle on her expression. And yet, if you look at her hands, or the sleeves with their minute folds, you can see the meticulous precision with which da Vinci executed this masterpiece.

Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1499–1510, Salvator Mundi, oil on walnut panel,

Another good example of da Vinci's use of Sfumato is his painting Salvator Mundi. When we look at the image of Christ, we an see how da Vinci delicately renders the face of Christ. The eyes, nose and mouth are subtly blurred, giving them a mysterious and ethereal quality. The application of Sfumato adds depth and a sense of naturalism to the facial features, enhancing the enigmatic expression and lifelike appearance of Christ.

It is of course impossible to prove whether or not Leonardo da Vinci had ADHD or not. Given his significant contribution to art, science and engineering though, there is compelling motivation to consider this possibility. ADHD can oftentimes seem viewed through the lens of challenges and limitations. However, when we consider the tremendous achievements of a genius such as da Vinci, and the possibility that he achieved so much whilst living with ADHD, we must ponder the potential for even greater accomplishments when individuals with ADHD are provided with knowledge and support.

The possibility that Leonardo da Vinci's enigmatic genius was influenced by neurodiversity, serves as a powerful reminder of the vast capabilities that diverse minds can offer to humanity.