Leonardo
: The person
Leonardo has been described as a grouchy and self-centered
painter, scholar, inventor, scientist, writer, and anatomist
etc. His abilities and talents always shadowed him as
a person. He was a workaholic whenever work demanded his
total attention. At the same time, he was highly fickle
minded and impulsive at times.
An
introvert, Leonardo was calm and thoughtful most of
the time. In his writings too, he is not forthcoming
or forceful. A loner, he remained one until his death,
despite the fact that he became a public personality.
He didn’t have any close friends either. One person
who was very close to him was his servant Salai whom
he addressed as “the light fingered rascal”.
He took him from Milan and showered him with money and
presents till the end of his life. His student, Melgi
was another person so close to him.
Accounts
from his contemporaries affirm that his mode of living
was simple. He was a teetotaler and barring clothes,
he ignored the fashion of the day. He wore a pink coat,
which touched his knees, when long garments were in
fashion. He took great care of his hair and long, curly,
and well-set beard. Moreover, he placed great value
on tidiness and cleanliness. Leonardo always remained
very close to the common man. He was talked of as a
witty conversationalist. His journals contained practical
jokes, curiosities, and puzzles for various occasions
and witty answers.
He
could make fun of himself and his vocation too. He cited
the example of a painter, who, when asked why his children
are so ugly while his paintings were so beautiful, retorted
: "I make my pictures during the day and children
at night."
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