Did Leonardo da Vinci's dyslexia help him to be a master painter?

The secret of Leonardo Da Vinci’s talent and Pablo Picasso’s success may have been their dyslexia. The two men both suffered from the ‘word blindness’ that affects as many as one in 12 children – but it seems it can also bring the keen spatial awareness that makes the difference between a jobbing painter and a master of art.

The finding, from Middlesex University psychologists, could help explain the brilliance of some of the greatest artists of all time and the timelessness of works such as the Mona Lisa.

The researchers put 41 men and women through tests to assess their visuo-spatial ability. Although we tend to think of the skill in terms of map-reading and parking, the ability to process 3D information accurately is also key to art and design. Around half of those taking part were dyslexic and so had trouble learning to spell, read and write.

The dyslexic men did better than the other men on many of the tests, including recalling the direction of the Queen’s head on a postage stamp and reproducing designs using coloured blocks.

They were also faster and more accurate at navigating their way around a ‘virtual town’ on a computer screen, the journal Learning and Individual Differences reports.

The researchers said there could be several explanations for the findings, including dyslexics developing an enhanced sense of space to compensate for problems with language.

Dr Nicola Brunswick said: ‘Also, many dyslexic people prefer to work out problems by thinking and doing rather than by speaking. This could help dyslexic men develop the kind of skills they need to succeed in the artistic and creative worlds.’

However, the dyslexic women had no better spatial awareness than the other women, perhaps reflecting that the ability to manipulate 3D images tends to be more of a ‘male’ trait.

Although the idea that dyslexia brings with it a special understanding of space has been floated before, this study is the first to find firm evidence for it.

Dr Brunswick said: ‘A lot of tests in this area in the past have been “paper and pencil” tests but these aren’t good tests of real-world ability.

‘Now we have real evidence to indicate that dyslexic men are better in this area.’

Artists known or believed to have suffered from dyslexia include Da Vinci, Picasso, Rodin and Andy Warhol. Da Vinci, who is also thought to have suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, wrote his notes backwards, from right to left. Picasso had trouble reading and struggled at school.

Dyslexia may also have played a part in the careers of some of the greatest scientists, including Thomas Edison and Michael Faraday.


/The Daily Mail/