Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 near Vinci, a (republic in Florence) Italy. He was the illegitimate (born to unmarried parents) of Ser Piero da Vinci, and a local woman, Caterina. At a young age Leonardo’s parents split and he went and lived with his father. Once splitting, both of leonardos parents continued to create children with other kins, it is told that Leonardo da Vinci had 17 half-brothers and sisters (Britannica) “ Legends has it that a hawk flew over his cradle when he was an infant, permanently affecting his vividness (Britannica). Leonardo was a homosexual(White,7). At the age of 15 Leonardo’s father sent him to apprentice in Florence Italy for an Italian artist named Andrea del Verrocchio. Verrocchio’s workshop allowed Leonardo to learn many techniques and training from Verrocchio himself. Verrocchio was Leonardo’s role model. He realized Leonardo’s true talent in the painting of The “baptism of Jesus” where he was assigned to paint a small angel on the corner. Once Verrocchio saw this, admitted that it was the most spectacular angel and he himself could not do it as Leonardo did (Britannica). After years under Verrocchio, Leonardo opened his own studio in Florence and began working for wealthy clients who asked for his paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The last supper. Although being a great painter this did not stop Leonardo’s mind to wonder about other existence in the planet “he drew together many confused strands of human knowledge and lent a logic and cohesion to what understood of the world; he then translated it into an encyclopedia of information about an incredible range of subjects” (White,4). Leonardo was so intrigued with life that being a genius in many realms of science did not stop him in discovering. His scientific inquiries fill 13,000 pages, ranging from anatomy to war machines. Since his works left everybody astonished, King Francis of France requested that Leonardo join his service and live near by the king himself. Facing lots of criticism about his work from certain people led him to fled from Italy to France. “Leonardo was the model for ‘Renaissance man’ (White,22). Leonardo da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux France at the age of 67. Leonardo was buried in the church of Saint-Florentine. The church was later demolished and there was no evidence of his gravesite. Whether or not his physical body is on this earth, the Renaissance man continues to live through his surviving works and will be passed on for generations to come and pass his ingenuity in his work.
Question2. His work
When you think of the name Leonardo da Vinci, certain images such as the Mona lisa and the last supper come to mind however Leonardo’s work ranges from paintings to militaristic war weapons such as the tank and first machine gun. Leonardo Da Vinci numerous skills in artistry, engineering and science have allowed his work to prosper. Some of his works include the ‘La Giaconda’ which is Italian for Mona Lisa, the last supper and the Vitruvian man. During this time period it was the norm to have a detailed portrait panted in each household if possible. When Leonardo’s work was discovered he began working for wealthy clients who asked for his paintings such as the Mona Lisa and the Last supper. What made Leonardo to stand out was his technique, to leave a unique effect on the viewers by applying scientific aspects towards each work, also the adding of movement and body expression (Britannica). Leonardo applied his creativity to every realm, It can be seen in his work that he was not a man who rushed just to finish in time. In Mona Lisa, Leonardo toke numerous years on his detailing because he wanted his paintings to have that unique effect on viewers. Leonardo’s pamphlet had thousands of sketches that included the first ever parachute, the helicopter and many others that was not possible to create at that time period because the tools and advancements