Guest post: Mrs. Gingrich

*Mistermagette's note: In recognition of Leonardo da Vinci's birthday, I present the second guest post to this blog. Enjoy!

Nothing to do with Taxes
-by Mrs. Gingrich

April 15 has many connotations to me:

• Tax Day
• Being pregnant, 2006 - My son’s due date
• Being pregnant (again) 2008 - The day after my daughter’s due date (many are quite impressed by this coincidence)
And last but not least:
• Leonardo daVinci’s birthday

Some of you may hold a job and may have to pay some taxes. Tax day for most adults is a ‘bah humbug’ date on the calendar. But since I recognize three other special events that coincide with April 15 – it’s no longer a groan of a day, but a hooray for Leonardo (and my kids) in a celebration of birth.

If you have taken Art 1 with me at EHS, you have been through art history units. Oh come on, you loved it! Those of you not familiar - these are quite intense units of study focusing on a particular movement in Art, along with the historical significance, artists and their products of that time period. Ol’ Leonardo da Vinci falls in the Renaissance art history unit. (Side note: I teach my students a silly mnemonic during that unit in order to remember the four key artists of the time – TMNT! Heroes in a half-shell!)

So Leonardo turns 557 this year. He actually died at the age of 67, but honestly the man did more during his lifetime than anyone else in history that I can think of. (History teachers: feel free to prove me wrong on this one). Leonardo is the reason the label “Renaissance man” happened. You know the type (many grandpa’s are like this – my dad is one of them): they can build an awesome tree house, they can play the guitar, they know what causes that “thump” sound that your car is making, they can help you with math homework and also help with still-life drawing. They can seemingly do anything – and do it well. That’s Leonardo.

I talk a lot about my dad when I’m teaching certain areas of art, because in a sense he’s an artist. He’s an architect, really, but in many ways architects are artists, too. My dad used to be president of an architectural firm in Topeka. Their main office was at the top of the Bank IV tower. I was always really excited to visit him at work because I would get to play with the really cool Prismacolor sets and stencils. Anyway, when you walked into the office suite, there were two larger-than-life images of Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man – one on either end of the office. If you aren’t familiar with the Vitruvian Man, an image is below. Imagine being about 8 years old, weirded out about life in general, but especially anything doing with the “bits and bobs” of physical anatomy. Dad’s office greeted me with this giant figure where, as an 8 yr old I stood at quite an awkward level to the guy. You get my drift. The giant one in Dad’s office lacked the “modesty” I’ve added to this image:


To learn more about the Vitruvian Man (and all the others who failed to prove what Leo did), go here.

I could go on and on about how Leonardo’s work has influenced my work as an artist and person. I adore his style of drawing – and strive to reach its complexity yet absolutely passionate, exploratory style. One of my favorite images is of an anatomical drawing done in his sketchbook. (Incidentally, this sketch is one of the few ‘mistakes’ Leonardo made – as he only had one cadaver to work from. Read on here.)


I love this image because of the sensitive subject, and all the scribbling, scrawling mess that surrounds the serene and tender baby. I’m especially drawn to it now that I’m a mother. You’ll understand soon enough. On this 557th birthday, I think about my own kids, and what they will grow up to be – maybe artists like their grandpa and mother? Who knows. One thing’s for sure: I won’t be posting a ginormous image of “bits and bobs” anywhere in our house anytime soon. There are other ways to inspire them!