Hi my name is Derek! I'm a writer, photographer, and a digital artist. For the last 6+ years i've been working on a book called: "Discovering Da Vinci's Daughter". It's mostly about different discoveries I've made with Leonardo da Vinci's art: Inluding the Mona Lisa, Last Supper, Vitruvian Man, The Shroud of Turin, and more. It's a long story (hence the book) but I found that he used a previously un-discovered techniques to hide/ disguise additional images in his art that can't be seen without knowing how.
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.” -daVinci
To understand what I've found has led me to research other subjects that include optics, perception, perspective, humanities, optical illusions, and our vision system. These same subjects were explained in epic detail in Leonardo's own journals. It was through his journals and studying them with modern technology, that I have been able to understand how he achieved this "new" technique.
"I reveal to men the origin of the first, or perhaps second cause of their existence." daVinci
He was the first to conceive of tanks, planes, robots, automobiles, parachutes, submarines, and other things that were FAR ahead of their time. This inventiveness wasn't limited to engineering and inventions but also to revolutionizing art and painting. Anamorphosis, stereography, "photography", 3D and painting with transparent layers “Sfumato” were in his technical artistic arsenal. What I’ve discovered will add even more advanced achievements to the ever increasing legacy of the amazing Leonardo da Vinci.
“All of our knowledge has it's origins in our perceptions.” -daVinci
My book will follow the journey i've been on in something i'm calling "Interjections" that are interwoven between each chapter. How did a 20'something go from working as a receptionist & going to community college to running away to Australia and eventually to writing a book about Leonardo da Vinci? Why? How?
You can preview "Discovering Da Vinci's Daughter" by going through this site and visiting my blog.
"Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?" -daVinci
We're always under construction so please forgive any errors. Spreading the word about this site helps me out a lot. Thanks! Contact me:
"Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past. Prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly." - daVinci
He was taken in by Da Vinci as
a child and ended up staying with him until Leo's death for a total of
25 years. When I found this
painting on wikepedia it said it had no known painter. (meaning no one knew who
painted it) I "Discovered" that this painting of Salai perfectly aligned with the
Mona Lisa (as did Leonardo's own self portrait) when they were superimposed over each other. This led me,
obviously, to think that Da Vinci painted it.
"Portrait of Gian Giacomo Caprotti, said Salai, pupil, and assistant of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci (?), circa 1502-1503, from the collection of the Alois Foundation, Liechtenstein."
It was painted in 1495-1503 (ish) This was before Da Vinci started on
the Mona Lisa.
For the Mona Lisa to align with the painting of
Salai - it would mean that Da Vinci purposly planned for this or based the Mona Lisa off of the portrait of Salai. It
would be impossible for at least one of the paintings to be not
based off the other. How else could this be? The portrait of Salai came first...
'If liberty is dear to you, may you never discover that my face is love's
prison.' Da Vinci
His own self portrait (his face) combines with the Mona
Lisa to unlock this prison and liberate his legacy. Not only
does his self portrait match up with the Mona Lisa, they both also
combine with the portrait of Salai - why?
'Discovering Da Vinci's Daughter's' title was chosen because it explained
how and why I concluded that the Mona Lisa's true idenity is Da Vinci's
"Daughter" But since he didn't have a real child - he painted it
instead.' The desire to leave behind a legacy -
in either art or as a son or daughter is innate in everyone. Everyone
wants to be remembered. This was his way of leaving behind one very
popular "off spring" The Mona Lisa is the most famouse piece of art in
existence today.
He succeeded.
"While I thought I was learning how to live, I was learning how to die." -daVinci
Salai's
name, which means "little Satan" is used more than any other in all of
Da VInci's journals.
Lisa Giacondo? Salai's
last name is Giacomo. Coincidence?
Giacondo | Giacomo
La Gioconda is another title of the Painting "mona lisa"
Mona Lisa as an anagram
is "Mon Salai" which means "My Salai" in French. In my book I show other
double meanings in both Italian and French that Da Vinci has also used.
This is not a coincidence.
It also forms M(mona),
on Salai. Like "put M" on Salai. (That would be a strange coincidence since they do go 'on' each other)
Although it could seem
like a coincidence, it is not. When you consider that a painting of
Salai combines and aligns perfectly over the Mona Lisa - it's obvious
the title alludes to this. (I still have some questions about how the title "Mona Lisa" was eventually given to this painting.)
Something that didn't dawn on me until I almost finished my book was how
significant the order of these three images would be.
1495
- The Painting of Salai
1503 - 1507 The Mona Lisa (I refute this in my book and lengthen the
dates)
1514 - St. John (Based on Salai)
1516 - His self portrait sketch.
If these dates are accurate - which all my research and common sense
confirms - it proves that The Mona Lisa was designed around the painting
of Salai. If these two paintings combine perfectly they would have had
to been designed to do so (not to mention all the other clues to support
this)
They could
not have been completed
without the other. Even if someone else were to have painted the
painting of Salai, Da Vinci would have had to have seen and used it to
base the Mona Lisa off of. (or both images were based off of another - previous (and unknown) painting))
What does this mean? Why
would Da Vinci do all of this? You'll have to read my book for a
complete answer.
Without giving too much away, the
Mona Lisa is Da Vinci's painted daughter. Hence - "Discovering da Vinci's Daughter" get it? My book has grown to include a lot more than just this so a new title might be in order! (ugh)
Click start, to start. Then
click start again after a few seconds to continue the animation This one
shows Mona Crossing over on herself and then combining with the painting
of Salai. (You'll notice how it changes when the hue is altered.)
This one shows the painting
of Mona Lisa combining with that of Salai. Notice how they align and
combine almost perfectly. The painting of Salai was painted before the
Mona Lisa (1495-1503) So Da Vinci would have had to base the Mona Lisa off of
Salai for this to happen. Not only that but an anagram of Mona Lisa is
"Mon Salai" or "M on Salai" which is more than a coincidence seeing as
these paintings do match up, and obviously Da Vinci planned for this to
happen.
Further evidence that Salai was
influential Da Vinci's art - and eludes to a hidden meaning is "St. John The
Baptist" which was (Supposidly) Leonardo's last paintings. Although it's
titled "St. John The Baptist" it's really a portrait of Salai, but older
this time.
Drawings of Salai:
These were sketches of Salai. He was obviously the model for: "St. John the Baptist"
All of these sketches were based off of Salai...
As it did with the other image
of Salai - "St. John the Baptist" also aligns with the Mona Lisa. All
alluding to a Salai - Mona - Da Vinci's intentional superimposition.
Is the title of a book i've been working on for the past 5 years. I'm writing Version 2.0 Right now and hope to be finally finished soon. You can preview it, what it's about, and what I discovered by clicking HERE.
Is the most famous work of art in existence. Her face is also one of the most recognizable - and is potentially worth a billion dollars. It's both a mystery and a convtroversy over who she really is and how da Vinci painted her. -READ MORE
This is a painting of Da Vinci's pupil, assistant, and probable lover Salino Giocomo, or "Salai." Why is the title "Mona Lisa" an anagram for "Mon Salai" ? Why does a painting of Salai combine with the painting of Mona Lisa? READ MORE
There is something really special about Da Vinci's art, especially so in one of the most famous and controversial paintings in the world: "The Last Supper" From the gender of the character to the left of Jesus, to the hand holding a knife? What I found answers these questions but also asks a LOT moreREAD MORE
The Shroud of Tuin is said to be the single most studied human artifact of all time- with very good reason. It's more like a 3d photograph from possibly thousands of years ago. Some believe it's proof of Jesus's divinity, some think it's a weird scientific anomoly, but no one knows for sure. I think I know who made it.. READ MORE
"What does it all mean, I don't know yet, but that made me decide to contact you who may really be the best Da Vinci expert in this age if not the reincarnated Da Vinci himself" - Teemu
"..your book really fascinated me a lot (as the topic was very different and new for me)...Well i have started reading your book and i am liking your research...." Deepika Mehta
"I find your work to be outstanding. I too think that you are just dangling on the precipice of a greater discovery." - Mark
"You my friend you're like a Champollion and your book must be the Rosetta stone. I really don't understand why yourwork isn't well known or at least credited properly. The website is so pleasant too, your focus and perspective on Da Vinci is for me like entering that new dimension which was there all along but i couldn't acknowledge without the proper key companion to shed a different light than the common mainstream thinking and analysis. And I just bought your book! I'm so excited, i couldn't wait for the re-visited version, i'm too curious to wait actually!" @FritesMoutarde
