Leonardo da Vinci is the man behind the most talked about painting in the world. But, he also is responsible for many inventions and other forms of art. Learn more.
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in central Italy. Not much is known about his boyhood, except that he was raised by his grandparents, and he was the son of a peasant woman and a law clerk. Leonardo seemed to be very talented in many areas with being noted as a fine musician, an inventor, and, of course, a truly revered artist.
At the early age of 14, Leonardo's father, Ser Piero, recognized what great talent he had with painting. In fact, Leonardo had painted the picture of a dragon that looked so real that it actually scared his father when looking at it. Father and son made a journey to visit Andrea del Verrocchio, a well-known artist, where Leonardo became an apprentice under Verrocchio. This job kept Leonardo very busy.
By the age of 30, Leonardo began sketching and writing daily into notebooks. One of the forms of writing that Leonardo took a fancy to was mirror writing (whereby you write backwards, so that you can only read a message by holding it up to a mirror). Some scholars believe Leonardo did this to keep his thoughts private, while others attributed it to the fact that he was left-handed and it was easier for him to write this way.
As far as being an artist, Leonardo has been called "a genius," "unmatched," and "divinely inspired." You would think, based on these comments that Leonardo was very disciplined in his work, but this is not the case. In fact, most of his major works of art have not been completed. Scholars believe this is because he was never satisfied with what he did, while others think that his mind was constantly racing with new thoughts and ideas, and he wanted to get them going before he lost his train of thought. Both make sense, but no one really knows why.
Some of Leonardo's Most Famous Works of Art
The Last Supper - Learn more about the background history of this painting.
Mona Lisa - Find out what media was used to paint this famous portrait.
Virgin of the Rocks - Did it have a hidden meaning?
Anatomy drawings - Learn more here.
Some of Leonardo's Famous Inventions
"Those who are obsessed with practice, but have no science, are like a pilot out with no tiller or compass..." ~ Leonardo da Vinci
These inventions listed below are based on Leonardo's drawings, and most can be found in the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica in Milan, Italy.
- Battleship
- Printing Press
- Mirror Grinder
- Parachute
- Flying Machines
- Dredger
- Helicopter
- Bridge Canal
- Spring-driven Car
As you can see, Leonardo was a very talented man.
