Quote of the day by Leonardo da Vinci: "The beginnings and ends of shadow lie between the light and darkness and may be infinitely diminished...could not be understood in detail but for shadow"

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter, scientist, and engineer who is most popularly known for painting the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But beyond this, he also reflected on profound thoughts and filled thousands of notebook pages with studies of anatomy, water, flight, optics, and light.And these books are a treasure trove of knowledge where many words of wisdom often resurface as inspiration today.He once weighed in on a profound thought that we value things for their bright side only, celebrate success, and hide failure. We post the good days on social media and skip the rest. But a lot of what gives life its shape and meaning remains in areas that we usually overlook.Let’s dig in to find out what he means.Quote of the dayThe beginnings and ends of shadow lie between the light and darkness and may be infinitely diminished and infinitely increased. Shadow is the means by which bodies display their form. The forms of bodies could not be understood in detail but for shadowWhat does the quote meanLeonardo said that shadow begins and ends somewhere between light and darkness, comparing which he said that life can be made weaker or stronger without limit. He also wrote that shadow is how bodies show their form, and that we could not understand the details of those forms without it.By saying this, he means that shadow is not simply "no light." It is a gradual fade, and we fail to see many details or features; this is how light behaves as it lands on them.This idea shaped his art. Leonardo became famous for soft, smoky transitions between light and dark. This can be seen in the gentle shading around the face in the Mona Lisa.These words come from the consolidation of the pages that da Vinci wrote, from the book, the Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, an edition compiled by Jean Paul Richter. Leonardo wrote these words in Italian, in mirror script, so what we read as an English translation can differ slightly between translators, but the essence of his ideas has hardly aged.How are these words relevant today?Even today, photographers and filmmakers use shadow to create mood and depth, and a portrait with no shadows looks lifeless. Game designers and 3D artists spend huge effort on realistic shading, because a digital object without it looks fake.Similarly, in daily life, we also tend to want everything bright: perfect results, constant happiness, no mistakes. But our difficult moments give our experience its depth. A person who has never struggled has a flatter story, much like a face lit from every side, understanding that is often the beginning of wisdom.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ testGet the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.