Leonardo DaVinci

Early Life

Leonardo was born in a small town in Italy on April 15, 1452. His father was a rich notary from Florence, and his mother was a peasant. They were not married, so he was considered illegitimate. He grew up in a town called Vinci, raised by his 16 year old stepmother. Da Vinci means from the town of Vinci.

Apprenticeship

At the age of 14 Leonardo was brought into Florence by his father and told he must apprentice to become an artist. In those days, being an artist was a pretty common profession.

Leonardo started to learn how to paint, and much more. In his apprenticeship, he probably also learned carpentry, metallurgy, chemistry, and other skills that artists would need in those days.

The painting on the left is one by Leonardos teacher, Verrocchio. It is said that Leonardo originally did the angel holding the robes of Christ, and that he did such a good job that Verroccio was ashamed to paint again after seeing the work his apprentice produced.

Professional Life

Leonardo went missing between 1476 and 1478. He was charged with a crime, but acquitted However, he decided to go into hiding for a short while after that.

His first commission was an altarpiece for a church, called the Adoration of the Magi. He was not able to complete this though, because he left for Milan before it was done.

Leonardo had to sell his services, and wrote to many of the Dukes that he was good at both art and engineering. He worked mostly for the richest of the Milanese dukes, creating art and designs that amazed everybody.

The Mona Lisa

Probably one of the most famous pictures in the world, the Mona Lisa was a portrait drawn by Leonardo DaVinci.

This painting even it its time was really famous. The smile that Leonardo painted is mysterious and subtle. Since the clothes are so drab, the detail in the hands and eyes stands out, and is really amazing.

Leonardos painting uses many techniques that the artist created himself, including the smoky look throughout the painting, and the use of oils so that the brushstrokes can not really be seen.

The Last Supper

This picture is another of Leonardos famous pictures. It is a scene which is mentioned in the christian bible, where Jesus Christ has dinner with 12 of his friends (disciples). This picture has always been well known, but became even more famous after a book called The DaVinci Code mentioned the secret things happening in the picture.

Leonardos Journal

Leonardo may have been a painter, but he was a prolific draftsman. He drew so many pictures, of everything from horses (as shown previously) to strange weapons of war.

His books show inventions that were impossible back then, but were eventually built in the 20th century! Things like aeroplanes, helicopters, and tanks were devised by Leonardo long before they were ever built.

His journal also shows the incredible attention to detail that Leonardo was able to produce. The pictures to the right show detailed sketches of human anatomy, which he used to better understand how humans functioned, and how to build amazing sculptures and draw realistic paintings.

Leonardo the Engineer

Even though Leonardo was really good at drawing and painting, he also made some great inventions.

In his journal, there are drawings of crazy inventions, steam cannons, aeroplanes, crank pumps, and more.

One project was to create a bridge in Istanbul around the Golden Horn. It was a 720 ft long project, which never was built. In 2006, the mayor of Istanbul and the president of Turkey decided to create this bridge in Leonardos vision.

Leonardos Death

Leonardo died of old age in 1519. He had moved to France, and lived in the house you see in the picture to the left. The king of France was convinced that Leonardo was a genius, and hired him to come and do work for him.

At his time of death, legend says Francis, the King of France, was at his bedside. He had become good friends with him. However, this is more likely just a legend.

Francis was reported in saying 20 years after Leonardo had died:

"There had never been another man born in the world who knew as much as Leonardo, not so much about painting, sculpture and architecture, as that he was a very great philosopher."

"He towered above all other artists through the strength and the nobility of his talents."- AE Rio (1863)

"His genius was so rare and universal that it can be said that nature worked a miracle on his behalf ..."- Anonimo Gaddiano