Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most well known artists today. He was not only an artist though; he was also a scientist and an inventor. His Mona Lisa is probably the most recognized painting ever! Leonardo had a very interesting, busy life.
Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy which is just outside of Florence. He was an illegitimate son of Ser Piero, a 25 year old notary and Caterina, a peasant girl. Shortly after Leonardo's birth, his father took custody of him. Caterina moved to a nearby town and married another man. Both Leonardo's mother and father continued having children, just not with each other. He ended up having seventeen half brothers and sisters.
While Leonardo was growing up, he was able to read many scholarly texts that his family and friends owned. The city of Vinci also had a very long painting tradition that he was exposed to. At the age of fifteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to Andrea del Verrochio in Florence. He painted many works of art during this period. One of his most popular works during this time was when he painted an angel in Verrochio's "Baptism of Christ". Leonardo's angel was so much better than Verrochio's works that Verrochio resolved to never paint again.
In 1477, Leonardo left the Verrochio workshop and got a place for himself. In 1482, he went into the service of the Duke of Milan. He even abandoned his first commission in Florence, "The Adoration of the Magi", to do this. Leonardo stayed in Milan for seventeen years. During this time he made many artistic and scientific achievements. The Duke had Leonardo paint and sculpt a lot but he also had him design buildings, weapons and machinery. In addition, Leonardo produced many studies on lots of topics, such as flying machines, nature, geometry, municipal construction, mechanics and architecture.
Leonardo was interested in so many different things that he often failed to finish what he started. Many of his paintings are left unfinished. During the seventeen years that he worked for the Duke, he actually only completed six works. Two of the most famous ones are "The Last Supper" and "The Virgin on the Rocks".
Starting in 1490, Leonardo began to write down his studies in illustrated notebooks. His work all falls into the category of four different themes: architecture, painting, human anatomy and the elements of mechanics. Today, these notebooks are very valuable. Bill Gates actually paid thirty million dollars for the Codex Leicester!
After 1499, the Duke fell from power and Leonardo no longer worked for him. Over the next sixteen years, he worked for many different people and traveled all throughout Italy. During this time, he painted the "Battle of Anghiari" and even designed a bridge in Constantinople.
In 1503, Leonardo started working on the very popular "Mona Lisa". From 1513 to 1516, he worked in Rome and did many projects for the Pope. In 1516, he was even offered the title of Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King.
Even though Leonardo suffered from paralysis of his right hand, he could still draw and teach. He also still produced many studies of various topics. Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 in France. There is a legend that the king was at his side when he died and cradled his head in his arms.
Leonardo was an extraordinary Renaissance artist. He was a brilliant man who deserves the recognition he gets. It is amazing that he knew so much about so many different topics!
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Arts
