Engineering Drawings

Leonardo da Vinci has been called the greatest painter of all time, and his Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous work of art in the world. However, da Vinci was more than an artist: he was also an engineer. His artistic talents enabled him to record his mechanical ideas with enough clarity for working models to be created, and his desire for knowledge and ability to bring his ideas to life shows that he is the epitome of an engineer.

The purpose of this essay is to discuss da Vinci’s contributions to the engineering profession. You will be required to define what an engineer is and identify what you think the goals of engineering are. This must be supported using outside sources. You will then describe and outline da Vinci’s work as a draftsman, a designer, and an engineer, paying close attention to the thousands of mechanical drawings he drew. With reference to specific drawings, you will link da Vinci’s work with contemporary engineering and analyze/discuss how his work helped to address challenges associated with at least three of the following four categories: anatomy, flight, manufacturing, and war. Using your definition of engineering and its goals, you will argue whether and to what degree (marginally, moderately, or significantly) da Vinci has influence and contributed to contemporary engineering.