Abstract

The Commemoration of Leonardo da Vinci To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci occurring in 2019, I propose the following manuscript, in the form of a virtual interview to prof. Giuseppe Maria Pugno (GMP), who commemorated the 500th anniversary of his birth in 1952. The interview, although of a virtual nature, due to the two generations that separate the interviewer (the undersigned, NMP) and the interviewee, is nevertheless based on real answers given by GMP in his writings on Leonardo and the mechanics of solids and structures. The interview is thus confined to this discipline without wishing to touch upon Leonardo’s contributions in other disciplines, or in mechanics itself, e.g. in fluid mechanics or applied mechanics, let alone in the field of art painting and sculpture. Other interesting ideas can be found in GMP’s writings on Leonardo and machines, on Leonardo and hydraulics and on the development of scientific thought in the two hundred years from Dante Alighieri to Leonardo, as well as in essays by other authors on Leonardo, e.g. see notes and references therein. In the last question and answer, interviewer and interviewee will exchange roles to take a look at Leonardo's legacy for a 21st century researcher, with only a few examples.