Bernhard Berenson claimed “the Renaissance…stands for youth, and youth alone---for intellectual curiosity and energy grasping at the whole of life as material which it hopes to mould to any shape” (Berenson, The Venetian Painters, 1894). But what exactly does he mean by his statement? Is he referring to the definition of renaissance as a rebirth and therefore stands for the youthfulness of new ideas or is it something more? I believe Berenson is referring to the mindset of youth which lead to the rebirth of classicism.
Imagine a toddler who had managed to open a kitchen cabinet. Some would see a clutter of pots and pans scattered across the floor and think nothing more than that child had made an unacceptable mess and a racket. However, there is something more happening beyond the visually obvious. Children are just regular people that have yet to experience as much those who are older than they are. It is the experience that lays beneath the clutter, which correlates to the mindset Berenson wrote about, for the older viewer of the chaos has forgotten the curious perspective of those less experienced. …show more content…
Da Vinci was one of if not the most intelligent and gifted men of his time. One of the reasons why he was so bright and gifted is probably due to his undying curiosity. Like the toddler exploring cabinets for new experiences, Leonardo explored any question or idea that entered his mind; although, he was old enough to understand consequences for his actions. However, consequences did not deter him from satisfying his curiosity, but instead he found ways around dealing with them by working in secret. As a result he was able to study and dissect anything and everything he had access to, which filled thousands of pages with notes and helped him understand how the world and creatures of it worked and