Contributions in Optics
Leonardo da Vinci’s preoccupation with the natural world led him to the fields of optics and astronomy. Though he initially took the theories of his predecessors as truth, da Vinci’s close observation of planetary bodies and the functioning of the human eye led him to reject the predominant, though imperfect, theories of optical and astronomical principles. This rejection allowed da Vinci, the scientist and artist, to question the inherent intricacies of light and optics, and marry the complexities of reflection with the complexities of visual perception. In what is known as his masterpiece in light and perspective, The Last Super, da Vinci applies his novel, though more complicated understanding of light and optics, translating his scientific inquiry into artistic innovation.
Leonardo was an advocate of the intromission theory of vision. Light rays from the object to the eye caused visual perceptions which were transported to the brain ventricles via a hollow optic nerve. Leonardo introduced wax injections to explore the ventricular system. Perceptions were assumed to go to the "senso comune" in the middle (3rd) ventricle, also the seat of the soul. The processing station "imprensiva" in the anterior lateral horns together with memory "memoria" in th posterior (4th) ventricle integrated the visual perceptions to visual experience. - Leonardo's sketches with circular lenses in the center of the eye reveal that his dependence on medieval optics prevailed over anatomical observations. Drawings of the anatomy of the sectioned eye are missing although Leonardo had invented a new embedding technique. In order to dissect the eye without spilling its contents, the eye was first boiled in egg white and then cut. The procedure was now repeated and showed that the ovoid lens after boiling had become spherical. - Leonardo described that light rays were refracted and reflected in the eye but his imperfect anatomy prevented a development of physiological optics. He was, however, the first to compare the eye with a pin-hole camera (camera obscura). Leonardo's drawings of the inverted pictures on the back wall of a camera obscura inspired to its use as an instrument for artistic practice. The camera obscura was for centuries a model for explaining human vision.
Leonardo was an advocate of the intromission theory of vision. Light rays from the object to the eye caused visual perceptions which were transported to the brain ventricles via a hollow optic nerve. Leonardo introduced wax injections to explore the ventricular system. Perceptions were assumed to go to the "senso comune" in the middle (3rd) ventricle, also the seat of the soul. The processing station "imprensiva" in the anterior lateral horns together with memory "memoria" in th posterior (4th) ventricle integrated the visual perceptions to visual experience. - Leonardo's sketches with circular lenses in the center of the eye reveal that his dependence on medieval optics prevailed over anatomical observations. Drawings of the anatomy of the sectioned eye are missing although Leonardo had invented a new embedding technique. In order to dissect the eye without spilling its contents, the eye was first boiled in egg white and then cut. The procedure was now repeated and showed that the ovoid lens after boiling had become spherical. - Leonardo described that light rays were refracted and reflected in the eye but his imperfect anatomy prevented a development of physiological optics. He was, however, the first to compare the eye with a pin-hole camera (camera obscura). Leonardo's drawings of the inverted pictures on the back wall of a camera obscura inspired to its use as an instrument for artistic practice. The camera obscura was for centuries a model for explaining human vision.