Leonardo da Vinci and Harper Lee Essay Example

Introduction

Arts are a way of communicating with people through drawing. Writing is an activity that involves composing text with an aim for publication. Writing is arts, and art is writing. These two fields correlate each other tightly. The field of arts is too broad, and writing is part of it. The most widely known field of arts is that which involves drawing. A person who is talented in the drawing is an artist. An author, on the other hand, is someone who writes and publishes materials. This paper focuses on an artist and an author-Leonardo Da Vinci and Harper Lee respectively. These two are all considered as artists since their creative works have positively impacted the society. The paper will analyze the differences and the similarities in their lives, works and how these influenced the society.

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Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian renaissance artiste who is widely known for his universal artistic works, Mona Lisa and The Last Supper (Da Vinci, 2012). He was a painter, architect, inventor, sculptor, a military engineer and a draftsman. He was a student of everything that related to science. Leonardo da Vinci believed that art intimately connected to science and nature. Therefore, this was the driving force behind his success in arts. He was a self-educated individual who sharpened his skills through apprenticeship.

Leonardo managed to fill a large number of secret books with numerous inventions, what he observed in his environment and society. He also came up with theories concerning aeronautics and anatomy of the human body and the animals. Others could not understand most of these concepts that da Vinci wrote. They were difficult to interpret. Da Vinci managed to create artworks that paved the way for modern inventions such as helicopters, bicycle, and planes by use of the psychology and the flying ability of a bat (Da Vinci, 2012).

On the other hand, Harper Lee was an American writer born on April 28, 1926, and died on 19, February 2016. Harper Lee is widely known for her book, To Kill a Mockingbird published in 1960. This author studied at the University of Alabama as an exchange student and transferred to New York without earning a degree. She ended up working as an airline reservationist in New York and managed to get financial aid from friends to actively pursue writing as a full-time venture. She also wrote the novel, Go et a Watchman (2015).

The similarity in their lives.

There are incidents in the lives of Leonardo da Vinci and Harper Lee that shaped their lives as an artist and an author respectively. Both these two individuals did not ride smoothly through life. To begin with, all these to individuals did not receive formal training for their artistic and authorship talents. Harper Lee enrolled at the University of Alabama but dropped out as a result of financial constraints. Leonardo da Vinci also never attended college. He worked as an apprentice and through this; he managed to shape his artistic and scientific skills.

Passion for their work drove all these two individuals. They knew what they wanted, and therefore nothing could deter them from achieving their objectives and goals. Da Vinci had developed a love for drawing at an early age. Because of this, he started researching artwork at an early age. Da Vinci received no formal training and education. He only learned about essential reading, writing, and arithmetic. The only thing that worked best for him was that his father greatly appreciated his artistic work. It helped a great deal in shaping his career. The painters at the guild of Florence also offered him a membership at an early age (1472). Harper Lee, on the other hand, developed an interest in literature at an early age. While in college, she focused her energies on her classwork and writing. She managed to get a membership at Literary Honour Society and also the Glee Club. These were forums for shaping writer's skills. During her college life, she contributed a lot to the school magazine, Rammer Jammer, which she was the editor.

Both Leonardo da Vinci and Harper Lee experience challenges in their line of duty as an artist and a writer respectively. The significant problems in the life of Da Vinci consisted of accepting the flaws of his projects and the flaws themselves. Da Vinci's stepmother passed away at a young age. His parents also separated at an early age. The government accused Da Vinci of promoting sodomy with one of his paint works. It created a conflict with the Italian government, and he faced the risk of being stoned to death. The Da Vinci code has always been controversy with the Christian religion. In the code, Da Vinci claimed that Jesus had married Mary Magdalene (Da Vinci, 2012). It has always created heated debates with the church. As a result, there was a conflict between Da Vinci and the society.

Harper Lee also faced a conflict with her society due to her literary works. She was an individual who preferred a quiet life, and others mistook this. People accused her of being a recluse (Jay, 2015). This accusation made her visit museums, theatres, and baseball games to interact with the people. At an early age, her mother experienced psychological problems, and this was a challenge to her.

Both Harper Lee and Leonardo da Vinci were talented in their line of work. These two personalities were very creative and unique. It is for this reason that they fall under the category of world's most famous individuals. Their work remained unique and was never copyright of other people work. In this regard, they positively influenced other people with their work.

Differences

Leonardo da Vinci was a renowned scientific inventor, a situation that Harper Lee was not. S This is where these two differed. Da Vinci was both a scientist and an artist. Harper Lee only displayed her artistic skills in writing novels and scripts. She also managed to direct some plays, which Leonardo da Vinci did not.

The two personalities also existed in two different periods. Da Vinci lived during the Renaissance period. He is one of the dominant renaissance thinkers. Harper Lee, on the other hand, lived during the modern and the postmodern period. The period of their existence shaped their works.

The difference in their works

The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a novel that holds a unique position in a literary discipline in America. It is one of the widely read stories of the last century. Since its publication, the book has received minimum critical attention (Gandy, 2013). People view it as a pleasurable read instead of a reflective proclamation on the social history of the United States. It, therefore, means that the book and the author have attracted much critical attention, admiration, and mockery. The author has always refrained from discussing her literary work, apart from rare interviews. Her work, therefore, raises deep autobiographical elements that borrow inspiration from real life events and incidents. Racism is a theme that the novel actively raises and the author has a healthy contempt for the issue (Gandy, 2013). The most significant reason behind the popularity of this novel is it's topically and its clarity in handling problems that were not only burning but also relevant to the modern society.

Jay (2015) also asserts that the novel also betrays gender concerns a great deal. Calpurnia, Mrs. Maudie, and Mayella Ewell cite examples of the independence of the female gender. The autonomy is within the art of working within a largely patriarchal society. Scout challenges gender stereotypes through the mode of dressing of Scout. She also defies gender stereotypes through her actions and her serious commitment to her belief in human equality.

Leonardo da Vinci also makes a significant contribution to the society but differently as compared to that of Harper Lee. He contributes to his scientific and artwork. The innovation ability of Da Vinci and his capability to creatively design the creation of a tank influenced a great deal during the World War I. The works of Leonardo da Vinci had an enormous impact on the world scientifically. Similarly, his artwork was a source of inspiration to many; Da Vinci communicated through artwork while Harper Lee communicated through pen work. The works of Da Vinci influenced the setting up of The School of Athens which was an art school. His numerous discoveries paved the way for modern inventions such as flying machines and hydraulics. Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are part of the works of Leonardo da Vinci that displayed his passion for arts and discoveries. Through the work of The Last Supper, Leonardo made it very clear of what was taking place on the table. He portrays different reactions of the disciples. These paintings and much of his work had an enormous impact on renaissance thinking.

Conclusion

From the preceding, it is imperative to note that both Harper Lee and Leonardo da Vinci made significant contributions to the society through the work of art. Both of their actions shaped the events that take place in the community in different ways. This paper has therefore looked at the lives and the artistic works of both an author and an artist. The article has managed to make connections between their similarities and differences between their lives and art. This work has also looked at what inspired them to engage in a creative line of artwork. It shows that the message that arts communicate is very relevant to the society. There should be an emphasis on its importance.

References

Da Vinci, L. (2012). The notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Vol. 1). Courier Corporation.

Gandy, M.E. (2013). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Literature

Jay, G. (2015). Queer Children and Representative Men: Harper Lee, Racial Liberalism, and the Dilemma of To Kill a Mockingbird. American Literary History, 27(3), 487-522.