The Mechanics of Man

The human body fascinates me. I am amazed at the intricacies and the sheer amount of mechanics involved in keeping our bodies working. Anatomy is so captivating and compelling; when I really stop to think about it, I'm in awe. I clearly am not the only one.

In October, you may remember that I went to see the exhibition of Leonardo's Mechanics of Man at the Queens Gallery. The man was an visionary genius when it came to anatomy, but his works lay undiscovered until hundreds of years after his death. I was quite taken by his drawings.

These are 3 of my favourites. I like the way certain parts of the body move. Hands are my favourites, closely followed by arms. I love the twist of muscles and bones that you can see when you move your arm. Leonardo captures these movements perfectly in his drawings. Thighs are my next favourite, I really love the overlay of muscles that you can see quite clearly in the bottom drawing. (Apologies for the poor quality of the photo - I couldn't get them all in focus).

After I went to the exhibition, I knew I wanted prints of them for my living room. Admittedly they're not everyone's cup of tea, but I could look at these all day. I love the manuscript type feel to them, I love Leonardo's mirror writing and I love the precise detail of his drawings.

It took me a while to find somewhere I could get replicas, but eventually I got them shipped from abroad via Etsy. I'll admit that the redecoration was also so I could display them properly. Mission accomplished; the wall is now done. It makes me happy.

Today's run: 4 miles
January running mileage: 50 miles