Leonardo, the Renaissance Man
Leonardo Da Vinci is considered to be one of the most talented men to have ever lived. He was a scientist, engineer, mathematician, poet, writer, sculptor, botanist, musician and an amazing painter. His curiosity and his powers for invention lead him conceive things that were well ahead of his time.
Leonardo Da Vinci was a product of the European Renaissance. He was born in Florence, Italy, the city considered to be the birthplace of the European Renaissance, on April 15, 1452. Little is known about the childhood of Leonardo. By the age of fourteen, Leonardo was already apprenticing under one of the most successful artist of that time, Andrea di Cione, who produced great talents such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Botticelli, and Lorenzo di Credi. During this apprenticeship, in addition to learning the artistic skills of drawing, painting, sculpting and modeling, Leonardo was also exposed to the details of drafting, chemistry, metallurgy, plaster casting, and leather working.
One of Leondardo Da Vinci's most well known artworks is his painting of The Last Supper. The painting depicts the last meal shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion. He is equally famous for his painting of the Mona Lisa with her elusive smile that has amazed people for centuries.
Leonardo kept journals during his lifetime, and filled over 13,000 pages with notes on his scientific work. He was very interested in anatomy and did drawings of muscles, skeletons, and organs. He was one of the first people to do a scientific drawing of a human fetus in utero. Da Vinci's notebooks also included ideas for many inventions. He was interested in the idea of flight, and made plans for various flying machines including a helicopter and a hang glider. Many of his ideas were thought impossible at the time. However, today many of his ideas have actually been found to be more feasible than they were thought to be during his own time, and have been influential in the designs and plans of engineers and scientists even today.
Wikipedia (n.d.). Leonardo da Vinci. Retrieved Novenber 29, 2007 from
, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci