Module 5

Saint Louis University
School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
ART APPRECIATION
THE MIND OF AN ARTIST MODULE 5

The average people shun away from the unknown. They cower from difficulties
and uncertainties in their lives, so they escape either from confusion and
discomfort by scampering into the dark cave of unknowing. In time, they stick
rigidly to established beliefs or norms, which eventually hamper their inner
transformation. To be in that scenario is debilitating, for it deprives people from
realizing their potential and all the other possibilities they may achieve in their
lives.
To young people like you where the many roads of life are yet to be
discovered and explored, the seven Da Vincian principles can serve as your
guide to help awaken the same traits Leonardo Da Vinci celebrated within
himself in you. These principles are consciously and unconsciously practiced
by artists.
MODULE 5 THE MIND OF AN ARTIST

Topic Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain the role of artists and artisans and their unique

approach/technique in art
2. Explain the Da Vincian Principles and their application in life.
Art is everywhere. We get to experience either the pleasure they give or the
purpose they serve. All these artworks and crafts are vehicles for the creators‘
feelings and ideas. To familiarize yourself with the creators of these arts and crafts,
study the six photos then find the similarity based on the actors‘ creations,
activities, and materials. Classify these photos into two. Write the letters of the
photos below.
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A. B.
C. D.
E. F.
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Oftentimes, the terms artist and artisan are interchanged. Dana (2017) gave a
clear distinction between the two. She states that an artist is into the fine arts of
painting, sculpture, and illustration, including those filmmaking, poetry and short
stories. Lacy (1995) created a spectrum of artist‘s roles:
On the other hand, an artisan is a skilled worker that uses his hands to make
something often functional or that will enhance something else: furniture, gold,
leafing, decorative arts (like faux finishes), jewelers, upholstery, embroidery,
glassblowers, leather workers (like shoemakers, potters, and weavers.
You may read more about the differences and similarities between artist and
artisan through this blog:
https://laetitiaatwork.substack.com/p/artist-vs-artisan-whats-the-
difference#:~:text=Merriam%2DWebster%20defines%20an%20artist,practices%20
a%20trade%20or%20handicraft%E2%80%9
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In the previous
section, you were
able to understand
the differences
between an artist and
an artisan. This time,
you will be looking
into the life and work
of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Is he an artist or an
artisan? What does
he have to say when
it comes to art
making? Read on!
Drawing on Da
Vinci's notebooks,
inventions, and
legendary works of
art, acclaimed author
Michael J. Gelb,
introduces the seven
Da Vincian principles,
the essential elements
of genius. These
principles provide
readers with inspiring
and inventive guides
on how to develop
their full potential.
They are
discussed in detail in
his book, ―How to
Think like Leonardo da
Vinci: Seven Steps to
Genius Every Day.‖
Each principle is in
Leonardo Da Vinci‘s
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Italian language. In the book, Michael Gelb introduces the power of the human
brain, the life of the Da Vinci and the Renaissance Period as characterized by a
surge of creativity and innovations. He then explains the 7 Da Vincian principles
derived from studying Leonardo‘s life and work.
Now, let us delve further into the different principles. Continue reading, then stop
once in a while to ponder upon how each nugget be applied in your life.
1. CURIOSITA o CURIOSITY: It requires that you constantly ask great questions at the
heart of important quality-of-life issues, then search intensely for answers.
To nurture Curiosita, try these exercises/tips:
ART APPRECIATION
2. DIMOSTRAZIONE or DEMONSTRATION
First-hand experience (including disasters, failures and mistakes) is the best way
to test and improve on existing practices, and to develop new wisdom, know-
how and independent thinking. Leonardo‘s brilliance came from how he
questioned (and tested) much of the accepted theory and dogma of his time
to find his own insights.
• Leonardo Da Vinci was constantly exploring and experimenting, e.g. dissecting
human bodies and animal corpses to learn anatomy, trying out new innovations
and automations (with many failed attempts).
He also rigorously challenged his own beliefs, assumptions, preconceptions
and knowledge, and constantly examined his own work, e.g. scrutinizing his
ART APPRECIATION
paintings against a mirror to see them in reverse, taking breaks to refresh his
judgement, and studying his work from a distance to see things from a broader
perspective.
3. SENSAZIONE (Constantly Sharpen the Senses)

Our five senses–sight, sound, touch, taste and smell–are the doorways to
our daily experiences. By increasing the amount and quality of sensory
information you take in each day, you increase both your intelligence and your
ability to learn from the world around you.
Saper Vedere (knowing how to see) was one of Leonardo‘s mottoes and
it defined the whole of his artistic contribution to humanity.
―All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions‖–Leonardo Da Vinci
―The five senses are ministers of the soul‖–Leonardo Da Vinci
Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are keys to doors of experience. Da Vinci
believed that the secret of Dimostrazione is revealed through the senses
We can relearn to experience our lives, to be perpetually surprised, by
actively engaging and awakening our five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and
smell. Leonardo noted that the average person, looks without seeing, listens
without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without
physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks
without thinking.
Here are ways by which we can sharpen our senses:
A. Practice Silence
This may be a challenging act for people who love talking, but in order to quiet
our minds and enjoy the sound of silence, we find time to be quiet.
Find a quiet place to sit comfortably. You may close your eyes or gaze softly at
your hands on your lap or at a point of distance, perhaps 20 feet away. Listen to
the silence. Listen to the silence in between sounds. Perhaps you notice cars
moving outside. Listen to the silence in between.
B. Eat with Your Eyes Closed

Use your sense of smell and taste to compare. You may compare two different
tea drinks or two types of chicken dishes made with slightly different spices. Take
time to appreciate the aromas and the varying tastes that hit your palate. Notice
if the tastes seem to have a connection with the smells. When you are done, open
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your eyes and look at what you created in your mind‘s eye and if or how it
matches up.
C. Draw Music
Listen to your favorite concerto, opera, hip-hop or rock tune. As you do,
start to draw using crayons, markers, or paint (even finger paint!). Perhaps you
can listen to one form of music and compare it to another. See what kind of
masterpiece you can create!
D. Visualize
Gelb introduces the phrase, ―Subtle Speculation: The Art of Visualization.‖
He explains: ―The ability to visualize the desired outcome is built into your brain,
and your brain is designed to help you succeed in matching that picture with your
performance. And the more thoroughly you involve all your senses, the more
compelling your visualization becomes.‖
● Find a time when you are relaxed, and close your eyes while you imagine
and visualize whatever you want to work on. It could be basically anything. Make
it as realistic as possible in your mind. Keep it positive and avoid anxious thoughts.
● Picture your favorite scene: close your eyes and imagine in great detail your
favorite place and the things you would see, hear ,smell, and feel.
● Visualize your favorite art pieces in detail and ―put‖
yourself in the scene
E. Forest Bathing
The Japanese have discovered that engaging in Shinrin-yoku,or forest bathing,
involving walking through a forest while emerging your senses to take in the sights,
smells, sounds, tastes or tactile experience of nature is good for your health. t is a
form of mindfulness meditation practice; it involves being in a moment-by-
moment awareness of your thoughts, sensations, and feelings, as well as of the
surrounding environment.
You can focus on one sensation like what a flower might smell like or feel like or evoke all
your senses.
ART APPRECIATION
F. SFUMATO: Embrace Uncertainty)—Be Comfortable With Ambiguity

Sfumato translates to ―going up in smoke.‖ Leonardo applied this principle
in his paintings by creating hazy, ambiguous scenes with gossamer-thin layers of
paint.
As you awaken your powers of Curiosita, probe the depths of experience
and sharpen your senses, you come face to face with the unknown. Keeping your
mind open in the face of uncertainty is the single most powerful secret of
unleashing your creative potential.
―That painter who has no doubt will achieve little‖–Leonardo
―Greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more when they work less‖–Leonardo
How to Make Friends with Ambiguity
A. List some situations from your life where you are confused or feel ambiguous
about an outcome and explore the feelings that come up.
B. Describe the feeling of ambiguity. Describe the feeling of anxiety. Where in
the body do you experience them? Count the number of times per day that you
use an absolute such as ―totally‖, ―always‖, ―certainly‖, ―must‖, ―never‖ and
―absolutely‖
Michael Gelb emphasizes that we are whole. We have one full brain,not half a
brain, and we won‘t be able to experience the full capacity and power of our
super-computer mind unless we embrace and start using our entire head—and
not just the limited half we are more comfortable with or socially defined by.
He writes, ―Left-brainers think,‖ I'm sorry, I'm left-brained. I can't possibly be
creative or imaginative. ‘And right-brainers make the mistake of programming
themselves: ‗Well, I'm right-brained—I can't possibly come to meetings on time.‖
Do not get boxed into thinking we are predominantly wired to either imagination
OR logic.
ART APPRECIATION
Whom would you be without your other half?
So was Leonardo a scientist who studied art, or an artist who studied science?
Clearly, he was both. His scientific studies of rocks, plants, flight, flowing water, and
human anatomy, for example, are expressed in beautiful, evocative, expressive
works of art, not dry technical drawings.
He was ambidextrous and would often switch between his right and left hand
while painting, drawing, or writing. His embrace and practice of whole-brain
thinking led to another gift he left for the modern intellect—the concept of
―brainstorming. ‖Creative thinking as we now know it, did not exist at that time.
Da Vinci had a unique quality of seeing the art in science and science in the arts.
You can also learn to connect the right and left brains through a powerful exercise
called mind mapping. Leonardo suggested going ―straight into nature‖ to find
understanding and clarity. Everything in nature is made up of networks of sinuous,
branched, and nonlinear paths.
Mind mapping is a way to link ideas and information naturally without an

immediate need for sequential organization.
What is a mind map?How is the process of mind mapping done?
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A Mind Map is a visual thinking tool that can be applied to all cognitive functions,
especially memory, learning, creativity, and analysis. Mind Mapping is a process
that involves a distinct combination of imagery, color, and visual-spatial
arrangement. It encourages whole-brain thinking as it brings together a wide
range of cortical skills from logical and numerical to creative and special.
If you like to watch a mind mapping presentation, watch Tony Buzan‘s video on
How to do mind mapping from this site:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Y4pIsXTV0
When creating a Mind Map, there are several elements to consider including
the map‘s
central image, branches, colors, keywords and images.
Steps to Creating a Mind Map

Mind Maps can be drawn by hand or using software such as iMindMap.
Here is how a mind map works:
Instead of generating your ideas by outlining them in order:1,2,3,4…(rational,
left-brain Grinch)and then getting distracted or stuck after#1 and doodling on
the side of your notes(artistic, right-brain Grinch), which will considerably slow
you down, consider doing it all at the same time:
―It is just plain illogical to try to organize your ideas before you‘ve generated
them, ‖says Gelb. ―Moreover, outlining and other linear note-making systems
exclude your brain‘s capacity for color, dimension, synthesis, rhythm, and
image…Outlining uses only half of your mind and half a mind is a terrible thing to
waste.‖
6. CORPORALITA: Develop a poise-the balance of body and mind
Da Vinci was strong, handsome, and graceful in addition to his artistic and
scientific genius. He placed emphasis on eating well (he was a vegetarian) and
being physically active.
He taught (and exemplified) the idea that smart people should also take good
care of their physical health and well-being if they expect to remain productive
throughout their lives.
―It is also a very good plan every now and then to go away and have a little
relaxation; for when you come back to work your judgment will be surer since to
remain constantly at work will cause you to lose the power of judgment.‖-Da
Vinci
Intelligence is often erroneously associated with physical ineptitude or poor
health habits. But most of the greatest geniuses in history—headed by Da Vinci—
did not just cultivate their mind but also enjoyed a splendid physique and cared
for their body.
Goethe said it best, ―Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must
see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.‖
And, on Da Vinci, Goethe said, ―Handsome and with a splendid physique, he
seemed a model for human perfection.
If the previous point advocated whole-brain thinking, this one is about whole-
body thinking. The mind—minds you— lives inside your body. The blood running
through your veins carries nutrients to your brain.
Your brain occupies 3%of your total body weight, yet it consumes more than
30%of your oxygen intake. More aerobic exercise=more oxygen to feed your
brilliant brain; and more oxygen=a higher capacity to function, process thought
and increase your problem-solving ability. You are one indivisible, whole
phenomenon.
These are but a few of the many ways by which you can balance your mind
and body. To achieve corporalita, you need to exercise self-discipline and the
will to find balance between your body and your mind.
7. CONNESSIONE: Seeing the interconnectedness in everything

Leonardo had a deep appreciation for the connectedness of things—drawing
correlations between hair and flowing water, the human body and the earth, and
the oneness of nature. He found order in chaos, and had a profound
appreciation for the mysteries of life and nature.
The interconnectedness of things is most evident during extreme times, e.g.
financial crises, pandemics, weddings, etc.
Exercises on How Connessione Is Practiced
―CONSIDER FIRST THE END.‖–LEONARDO DA VINCI
A. contemplate the dynamics of your family. The roles each member plays,
how those have changed over time, etc. Pretend your family is a human body
and assess who is what part, and the health of the body.
B. Imagine a dialogue between any two people from fiction, the past, or the
present (e.g. Christ and Buddha)
C. Before enjoying a meal, take a moment to think about where each of the
origins of each ingredient, with gratitude and reflection. Do the same for your
clothes and any other possessions.
D. Microcosm and macrocosm: Contemplate the systems that make up your

body, and the molecules and matter that make up those systems, going down to
the atomic and subatomic levels. Then, think about your place in the world, and
how you are connected to everyone else in subtle, disparate ways. Also try to
practice mindfulness/meditation for 10-20 minutes per day where you focus on
your breathing. Remember that you share the air around you with the entire
world. On busy days just pause once or twice for seven focused breaths.
E. Write your own eulogy—ask yourself, ―how do I want to be remembered?‖
F. Trace Map: Research how an event, a phenomena or a social problem

started. Find who or what caused it; who or what are affected; and how such
concern came about
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Reference
Book Summary: How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: 7 Steps to Genius Everyday
by Michael Gelb. Reading Graphics.
Heydenreich, L. (1947). Leonardo Da Vinci.: Italian artist, engineer, scientist.
Director,Central Institute for the History of Art,Munich,1947–70. Author of
Leonardo da Vinci;Leonardo architetto.
Jones, A. (1989). Soul making: The Desert way of spirituality. HarperSanFrancisco.
ISBN: 0060641797
How%20to%20Mind%20Map%20_%20iMindMap%20Mind%20Mapping.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci
https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/9274/soul-making
Matravers, D. (1998). Art and Emotion. Oxford University Press. ISBN(s) 0199243166
9780199243167 https://philpapers.org/rec/MATAAE
https://www.12manage.com/methods_herrmann_whole_brain.html
https://singularityhub.com/2017/11/08/how-to-think-like-leonardo-da-vinci-and-
unlock-your-creative-potential/
https://healthymemory.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/the-seven-da-vincian-
principles/
https://www.tam-awanvillage.com/artist/jordan-mang-osan/
https://momentsjournal.com/filipino-artist-jordan-mang-osan-solar-drawings/
https://www.destig.com/destig-daily/jordan-mang-osan-the-artist-who-
harnesses-the-power-of-the-sun-to-create-pyrography-drawings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHjnjbER7gI
Life on the Island. (2013). Artists and Artisans: What‘s the difference between an
artist and artisan? Retrieved from Bali/Life on the Island NOW website:
https://nowbali.co.id/artists-and-artisans-what-s-the-difference-between-an-
artisan-and-an-artist/
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Life on the Island. (2013). Artists and Artisans: What‘s the difference between an
artist and artisan? Retrieved from Bali/Life on the Island NOW website:
https://nowbali.co.id/artists-and-artisans-what-s-the-difference-between-an-
artisan-and-an-artist/

Module 5

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Module 5

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Saint Louis University

School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts

THE MIND OF AN ARTIST MODULE 5

MODULE 5 THE MIND OF AN ARTIST

1. Explain the role of artists and artisans and their unique

To nurture Curiosita, try these exercises/tips:

3. SENSAZIONE (Constantly Sharpen the Senses)

Here are ways by which we can sharpen our senses:

B. Eat with Your Eyes Closed

F. SFUMATO: Embrace Uncertainty)—Be Comfortable With Ambiguity

How to Make Friends with Ambiguity

Whom would you be without your other half?

Mind mapping is a way to link ideas and information naturally without an

What is a mind map?How is the process of mind mapping done?

Steps to Creating a Mind Map

6. CORPORALITA: Develop a poise-the balance of body and mind

7. CONNESSIONE: Seeing the interconnectedness in everything

Exercises on How Connessione Is Practiced

―CONSIDER FIRST THE END.‖–LEONARDO DA VINCI

D. Microcosm and macrocosm: Contemplate the systems that make up your

E. Write your own eulogy—ask yourself, ―how do I want to be remembered?‖

F. Trace Map: Research how an event, a phenomena or a social problem

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