Discover the science behind Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces—and Mona Lisa's iconic smile. (Aired November 13, 2019)

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Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance genius. Not only did he paint masterpieces of art, but he was an obsessive scientist and inventor, dreaming up complex machines centuries ahead of his time, including parachutes, armored tanks, hang gliders, and robots. On the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, with the help of biographer Walter Isaacson, NOVA investigates the secrets of Leonardo’s success. How did his scientific curiosity, from dissections of cadavers to studies of optics, shape his genius and help him create perhaps the most famous painting of all time, the "Mona Lisa"?

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
04:47 How Did da Vinci Make a Perfect Painting?
09:07 The Original Mona Lisa
14:29 The Early Life of Leonardo da Vinci: Engineer, Scientist, Artist
23:41 The Science of Painting: Restoring a da Vinci Masterpiece
29:17 Modern Day Painters Using da Vinci’s Process
32:24 Leonardo da Vinci’s Anatomical Accuracy
39:36 Mona Lisa’s Smile: Do Our Eyes Trick Us?
44:21 Shocking Result of the Restoration of Bacchus
46:13 Digital Restoration of the Mona Lisa
50:28 Conclusion

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