James Lucas Profile picture
Mar 28 31 tweets 10 min read Read on X
Leonardo da Vinci's drawings - a thread 🧵

1. Vitruvian Man Image
2. Study of an Angel

The soul of this young girl seems almost visible in her eyes.

Even if da Vinci only produced about 20 paintings in his lifetime, we have over 13,000 pages of his notes and drawings. Image
3. Fetus in the Womb

More than 500 years ago, Leonardo correctly depicted the human fetus in its proper position inside a dissected uterus. Image
4. Anatomical Studies of the Shoulder

Leonardo dissected more than 30 bodies of both genders and all ages in his lifetime, leaving behind many stunning - and incredibly accurate - anatomical drawings. Image
5. Anatomical Studies

His sketches were so precise that many are still used to illustrate medical textbooks.

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6. Head of a Young Woman (La Scapigliata) Image
7. Profile of an Old Man Image
8. Studies of Crabs Image
9. Study of a Child Image
10. Study of Horses Image
11. Study of Hands Image
12. Ornithopter

Leonardo studied the flight of birds for years, and then he famously made designs for his "ornithopter", a flying machine.

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13. Helicopter

In the late 1480s, he even drew his design for an "aerial screw", a flying machine which is incredibly similar to a modern helicopter. Image
14. Dragon Striking Down Lion Image
15. The Skull

This iconic drawing is universally admired for its accuracy and proportion. Image
16. Leonardo's self-propelled cart, considered the ancestor of the modern automobile. Image
17. Study of Five Grotesque Heads Image
18. Study of the graduations of light and shade on a sphere (chiaroscuro). Image
19. The organs of a woman's body Image
20. Comparison of the leg of a man and a dog Image
21. Walking on water

A peculiar method of walking on water using skis made of cork and paddle-like poles. Image
22. Landscape drawing for Santa Maria Della Neve & botanical drawings

"The painter’s mind is a copy of the divine mind, since it operates freely in creating the many kinds of animals, plants, fruits, landscapes, countrysides, ruins, and awe-inspiring places."

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23. Cat drawings Image
24. Leonardo also produced several extremely accurate maps, such as the town plan of Imola. Image
25. Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk

This iconic drawing is widely regarded as a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci at the age of 60. Image
26. Studies of Water Passing Obstacles Image
27. Female Head Image
28. Study for the Last Supper

Before painting his timeless masterpiece, Leonardo drew a few preparatory sketches that depict many different variations of the apostles' poses and gestures. Image
29. Heads of an old man and a youth Image
30. Muscles of the Torso and Back

These drawings give a clear picture of how the musculature lies over the ribcage and around the abdomen. In the notes, Leonardo also indicates exactly how the muscles are connected to the skeleton and to each other. Image
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More from @JamesLucasIT

Dec 18
The most beautiful medieval cities on Earth 🧵

1. Siena, Italy 📷: _nonna_lu
2. Bologna, Italy, has one of the best-preserved medieval historical city centers in the world.

Once among Europe's largest cities, it is known as the "Manhattan of the Middle Ages" for its tower-filled skyline. Today, only 30 of the original 100 towers remain standing. Image
3. Edinburgh's Old Town, the heart of Scotland’s capital, is a place beyond words.

Its medieval buildings and streets remain largely intact, telling the story of the city from the Middle Ages to modern times. Image
Read 26 tweets
Dec 17
The most beautiful roads on Earth 🧵

1. Sword road, Iceland Image
2. The Atlantic Road, Norway

Often referred to as "the most beautiful journey in the world", this road winds like a graceful sea serpent across eight bridges, connecting Kårvåg on Averøya to Vevang on the mainland. Photo by skeye_photo
3. Amalfi Coast, Italy

"For the people of Amalfi who go to heaven, judgment day will be a day like any another." Image
Read 29 tweets
Dec 15
Thread of surreal archaeological discoveries 🧵

1. Dubbed the "flying carpet," this Roman mosaic found in Antakya, Turkey, was so masterfully crafted that it retained its intricate design despite the wave-like distortions caused by earthquakes. Image
2. Colossal Olmec stone heads

The Olmecs, Mesoamerica’s first major civilization, are thought to have flourished in Veracruz and Tabasco from 1200 to 400 BC, vanishing mysteriously in the 4th century BC. Image
3. A magnificent 2000 year old Roman mosaic on the bank of the river Euphrates, Turkey. Image
Read 26 tweets
Dec 13
Thread of extraordinary painting details 🧵

1. The whole table is judging you. Even the cat. Carl Bloch's "In a Roman Osteria" (1866)
2. "The eyes are the windows to the soul"

Microscope maker Hirox has created a stunning 10-gigapixel panorama of Vermeer’s "Girl with a Pearl Earring."

You can zoom into the left eye to see the pupil, and then zoom in further to reveal the light source as a few paint blobs. Image
3. This is one of my personal favorites: in Giorgione's "Portrait of an Archer," the young man's hand is reflected in the surface of his armor. Image
Read 29 tweets
Dec 12
Art memes - a thread 🧵

1. The introvert life Image
2. The chair Image
3. There's always one, isn't there?

"The Absinthe Drinker" is a stunning 1875-76 painting by Edgar Degas, displayed in Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Image
Read 26 tweets
Dec 11
I used Grok's new image generation model to reinterpret Greek myths and epic poems.

The results are stunning - a thread 🧵

1. Aeneas fleeing the burning city of Troy Image
2. Prometheus and the Theft of Fire

I asked Grok to generate a marble sculpture of this famous myth.

Interestingly, it incorporated two key elements: the flame in his hands and the chains forged by Hephaestus, with which Zeus bound him to a rock for giving fire to humans. Image
3. Pandora’s Box

After Prometheus gave fire to humans, Zeus sought revenge. He ordered Hephaestus to create Pandora, giving her a jar with strict instructions never to open it. She was then sent to Prometheus' brother. Pandora opened the jar, releasing all evils upon the world. Image
Read 10 tweets

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