Leonardo Da Vinci on the Uses of Beauty

Leonardo was not just studying the anatomy of his subjects in order to paint or draw them accurately, he wanted to know how they ‘worked.’ Just as he studied geometry and mechanical forces to observe and imagine machines, he explored humans to understand and reflect not just how their muscles and bones and flesh informed their movement, but how their emotions moved them. He sought the essence of humanity by understanding it from the inside out and the outside in. Only by understanding how our inner lives drive our outer behavior could he tell our stories so truthfully his art could resonate across the centuries.

In so many ways he sought the uses of beauty. He learned how a coy smile could entice someone beholding his Mona Lisa just as his engineering imagination could entice a potential Ducal employer.

At core, the arts require that we understand what people find attractive and important. A famous artist knows how to get people's attention and then keep it by weaving narratives – explicit or implicit – that gives them a sense of meaning. Modern business people would be well advised to understand the mechanisms that drive the most important elements of their business lives, namely other people ... and themselves.