Standing at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, Leonardo da Vinci might have been history’s most creative genius. Best-selling biographer Walter Isaacson comes to CHF to discuss his magisterial new biography, which shows a wide-ranging da Vinci–he painted the "Mona Lisa" and explored the math of optics–at ease with being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, easily distracted, and, at times, heretical. Isaacson shows how da Vinci’s creativity was based on skills we can improve in ourselves: passionate curiosity, a willingness to question, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

This program recognizes John McCarter who received our Humanist of the Year Award in 2016, and is presented in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago.

This program was recorded on Oct 29, 2017 as part of Fallfest/17: Belief. Learn more here: https://chicagohumanities.org/belief

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