Becoming Leonardo

  Quickly, name the three most famous works of Leonardo di Vinci. 
 
  The Mona Lisa would be first, and the Last Supper would probably be next.  After that, probably the Vitruvian Man would be the most recognizable work.  There are a few other paintings that I recognized by name, but I struggle to name too many of his works.  (Truth be told, if you told me I would only do one painting in my life but it would be the Mona Lisa, I'd take that trade.  As it is, my most famous painting is the hand-print turkey I did as a five year old that hangs in my mother's kitchen.) 

  Leonardo wasn't the most prolific painter.  Most of his life seemed caught between various political sponsors and foes, and he doesn't seem driven the way I would have imagined.  Mike Langford's Becoming Leonardo explores the life of Leonardo in a way that goes deeper than the story -- the author tries to help us understand how Leonardo thought, what motivated him, and why he did things.  Leonardo clearly had a brilliant mind, but he was caught up in 16th century Italian politics, and was a captive to the instability that came along with that.  Having a politician who favors you is useful, but what happens when that politician is no longer in power?
 
  Who knows what works Leonardo might have turned out if he was offered stability and a safe place to create?  He might've created countless wonders with amazing productivity.  Or maybe not -- maybe the chaos swirling around him of Machiavelli and Cesare Borgia were catalysts in his creative process, driving him to greater artistic heights.

  It's easy to wish the world were another way.  We look at the lives of others and wonder what we would do in their circumstances, always assuming the best, thinking our problems would be solved if we had the resources that another has.  But that might not be the case -- you'd just have different problems, and there would still be people you'd look at with envy and wish you had their resources.  Don't spend your time wishing your life away -- but focus on being faithful in the midst of your current circumstances.  In some way, your current experience will plant seeds now that will bear fruit later.