English Version
When you hear the word “genius,” many different names may come to mind. But if we are talking about the so-called “universal genius,” one of the first is surely the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci.
He painted world-famous works such as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and Virgin of the Rocks. His self-portrait may give the impression of a stern old man, but in his lifetime he was reportedly handsome, sociable, witty, and humorous enough to entertain the nobles of his day. He also had many pupils.
In other words, he can seem almost impossibly perfect. But there is also a theory that da Vinci may have had what is now called a neurodevelopmental condition.
Of course, “developmental disorder equals genius” is an oversimplified image. People with such traits may also struggle with them. Da Vinci’s life was not smooth sailing from beginning to end, and he seems to have experienced more than his share of frustration. Here, we will look at the theory that Leonardo da Vinci may have had ADHD.
Was Leonardo da Vinci ADHD?
The phrase “neurodevelopmental condition” covers many different traits and diagnoses. In da Vinci’s case, some writers and researchers have suggested that he may have had ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare describes ADHD as involving hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, or both, appearing by around age seven and not matching the child’s developmental stage. It also notes that ADHD is found in about 3–7% of school-age children, and is reported several times more often in boys than in girls.
ADHD is often associated with three broad traits:
- Uneven concentration
- Restlessness or difficulty staying still
- Impulsive behavior
To be clear, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions are not simply “illnesses.” They are traits shared by many people. If those traits cause distress or difficulties in daily life, treatment or support may be recommended. They can also overlap with what we think of as personality or character, and in recent years more adults have realized that they may have had ADHD all along.
When reading biographies and studies of Leonardo da Vinci, it is striking how often his behavior seems to match these ADHD-like traits. It also appears that he sometimes suffered because of them. Let’s look at the three traits through episodes connected to his masterpieces.
Uneven concentration
One of the clearest examples of uneven concentration comes from stories about da Vinci while he was working on The Last Supper.
It is said that during the painting’s creation, he might become so absorbed that he barely ate and worked all day. At other times, he would reportedly go several days without touching the painting at all.
This episode neatly reflects the ADHD-like trait of concentration that can swing between intense focus and complete disengagement.
Restlessness and difficulty staying still
A second ADHD-like trait is restlessness: difficulty staying with one task or remaining still.
Da Vinci is known as an artist who worked slowly. The Mona Lisa, often considered his greatest masterpiece, is said to have taken as long as 16 years, and studies have found signs that it was revised again and again.
He would adjust the painting, imagine a possible finished form, add more changes, and then wonder whether it was truly right. In the end, it is often said that da Vinci never fully completed the Mona Lisa.
During the making of the Mona Lisa, his interests reportedly shifted from one subject to another, making it difficult for him to keep his brush moving on the same work for long.
Impulsive curiosity
Da Vinci was fascinated by almost everything. Once something caught his attention, he wanted to understand its principles and mechanisms thoroughly.
His notebooks, often called the manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci, contain ideas for flying machines resembling a helicopter, anatomical studies of the human body, and even drawings based on the dissection of a fetus in the womb.
According to this theory, da Vinci sometimes pursued his own interests even at the cost of leaving work unfinished. That kind of intense, impulsive curiosity overlaps with traits often associated with ADHD.
A genius who used his own traits
If Leonardo da Vinci did have ADHD, then his restlessness, impulsiveness, and uneven but powerful concentration may have helped him make discoveries and inventions far ahead of his time.
People sometimes hear “ADHD” and imagine weakness, failure, or pity. But traits that look like shortcomings can also become strengths, or even qualities that others admire.
Da Vinci may not only have been a universal genius. He may also have been a genius at turning the traits that troubled him into the source of his brilliance.
Japanese Language
「天才」と聞いて、皆さんそれぞれいろんな人物が思い浮かぶでしょう。その中で”万能の天才”と呼ばれる天才中の天才といえば、イタリアの芸術家 レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチ です。。モナ・リザ 最後の晩餐 岩窟の聖母 といった誰もが知る絵を描いた画家であり、自画像から堅物おじいちゃんのイメージがありますが、実は容姿端麗のイケメン。社交性もあって多くの弟子を持ち、当時の貴族を楽しませる機知とユーモアも併せ持っていたとか。まさに一切の隙が無いパーフェクト・ヒューマンですが、 実は「発達障害」だったのでは？
という説があります。。”発達障害≒天才”というイメージもありますが、本人はその特性に苦しんでいたりするものです。ダ・ヴィンチも人生のすべてが順風満帆だったわけではなく、やはりそれなり以上の苦悩を経験してきています。この「ダ・ヴィンチ発達障害説」について、詳しくまとめていきます。ダ・ヴィンチはADHD(注意欠如・多動性障害)だった？。。「発達障害」と一言で言っても、いろいろな症状がありそれぞれ名称が異なります。その中でもダ・ヴィンチは「 注意欠如・多動性障害(ADHD) 」だったのではないか、と考えられています。
発達年齢に見合わない多動‐衝動性、あるいは不注意、またはその両方の症状が、7歳までに現れます。学童期の子どもには3〜7％存在し、男性は女性より数倍多いと報告されています。男性の有病率は青年期には低くなりますが、女性の有病率は年齢を重ねても変化しないと報告されています。引用： 厚生労働省「注意欠如・多動性障害(ADHD)とは」 。ADHDは、主に以下の3つの特性を持っているとされています。ADHDの特性 集中力にムラがある 落ち着けない、じっとできない 衝動的に行動する 先に述べておくと、ADHDをはじめとした発達障害は病気ではありません。
様々な人に共通する”特性”であり、その特性に本人が苦痛を感じる場合は治療を勧められることがあります。その人の性格やキャラクターのような部分も含まれることがあり、大人になって「実はADHDだった」と気づく人も近年増えてきていますよね。レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチの伝記や考察本を読むと、 驚くほどADHDの特性に当てはまっており、また特性に苦しめられてきたことが分かります。。この3つの特性を、名画製作時のエピソードを交えながらみていきましょう。
集中力にムラがある。「集中力にムラがある」という特性を表す最たる逸話が、『最後の晩餐』製作中のエピソード。。最後の晩餐の製作中のダ・ヴィンチは、 ろくに食事もとらず1日中製作に没頭したかと思えば、数日間一切絵に触れないこともざらにあった といいます。最後の晩餐製作時の逸話は、この「集中力にムラがある」というADHDの特性を端的に表しています。落ち着けない、じっとできない。ADHDの2つめの特性が、落ち着かずじっとできないこと。ダ・ヴィンチは1つの物事や作業に集中することができず、遅筆の芸術家として知られています。
ダ・ヴィンチの最高傑作とされる『モナ・リザ』は、実に16年もの歳月をかけ、何度も何度も修正された痕跡があることが分かっています。。絵を修正しては完成形を想像し、また手を加えては「これでいいのか」と悩み、結局ダ・ヴィンチはモナ・リザを完成させることができませんでした。モナ・リザ製作時も自身の興味があちこちに移り変わり、長く筆を取り続けることができなかった といいます。衝動的に行動する。ダ・ヴィンチはあらゆる物事に興味を持ち、その原理や仕組みを徹底的に追求・解明しないと気が済まない人物でした。
「レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチ手稿」と呼ばれるメモには、 ヘリコプター(人を乗せて空を飛ぶ機械)のアイデア や、。 出典： Wikipedia「Pariser Manuskripte (Leonardo da Vinci)」 人体図に関するデッサン から、。 出典： Wikipedia「ウィトルウィウス的人体図」 胎内を解剖した時のデッサン まで。
出典： Wikipedia「レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチ」 仕事をほったらかしてまで自分の興味を追及したというダ・ヴィンチは、 ADHDの特性である衝動的な行動に当てはまる部分があります。。ダ・ヴィンチは、自分の特性を活かす天才。。ダ・ヴィンチが仮にADHDだったとすれば、その気質である落ち着きの無さや衝動性・集中力によって、時代を先取りする新発見・発明をたくさん行ってきたことになります。
ADHDと聞くと、「かわいそう」とか「ダメな人」という印象を持ちがちですが、自分が欠点だと思う部分も、実は長所だったり他人が羨む特性であったりもします。ダ・ヴィンチは、 欠点と思いがちな自分の特性を活かす天才 でもあったのです
