Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian painter, architect, scientist, engineer, and sculptor, was a true renaissance man. Da Vinci was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant girl. Da Vinci was born April 15, 1452. Ser Piero took immediate custody of da Vinci, while da Vinci’s mother moved to a neighboring town and began a family with another man. Between both his mother and his father’s families, da Vinci had a total of 17 half brothers and sisters.
As a child, da Vinci often read books that he had borrowed from friends and family members. Because he lived in the city of Vinci, he was also exposed to a rich visual art community. Vinci was known for its painting traditions. When da Vinci was 15, he moved for Florence and began to apprentice under Andrea del Verrochio. Del Verrochio immediately recognized da Vinci’s immense artistic talents and began to include da Vinci’s work in his own masterpieces. One of Da Vinci’s first known works is a painting of an angel in Verrochio’s “Baptism of Christ” (Museum of Science, n.d.). Da Vinci’s work was so much greater than his instructor’s that Verrochio decided never to paint again. Da Vinci continued to work with Verrochio until 1477.
In the pursuit of financial gain, Da Vinci began working for the Duke of Milan in 1482. To accept this position, he had to leave his first paid project before finishing it ("The Adoration of the Magi"). Da Vinci continued to work for the Duke until 1499. During his time in Milan, da Vinci advanced his abilities in both art and science.
During his commission with the Duke, da Vinci was asked to perform both artistic and scientific duties. In addition to his paintings, the Duke asked Da Vinci to design weapons and buildings. Da Vinci began to study mathematics, architecture, nature, mechanics, and machinery. Many of his designs were not fully realized until years after his death, including a military tank and a submarine. Like his mentor Verrochio, da Vinci began leading his own workshops, with many students and apprentices applying to learn from him.
Da Vinci often began projects that he did not finish. Many geniuses have this trait. Albert Einstein, for instance, wrote down formulas and instructions, but did not want to actually conduct the experiments he suggested: he lost interest in them before he ever arrived at that point. Da Vinci completed very few works of art during his service to the Duke of Milan. One of these paintings was the famous “The Last Supper.” Because da Vinci was becoming increasingly interested in biology, he began to lose interest in painting. It was then that da Vinci began dissecting human remains.
In 1490, da Vinci began to record his studies in illustrated notebooks. These notebooks, now very valuable and widely sought after by collectors, contain sketches of ideas that da Vinci had about each of his fields of interest. These fields included mechanics, architecture, biology, and painting.
In 1499, the Duke of Milan was stripped of his power. This left da Vinci unemployed. Da Vinci worked as an independent contractor of sorts for the next 16 years. Traveling throughout Italy, he worked for several employers, all for very short periods. Da Vinci was commissioned to build bridges, engineer machinery for the military, and also to paint masterpieces.
In 1503, da Vinci began painting the “Mona Lisa,” his most famous work of art. This painting is still displayed in the Louvre and is studied by art students around the world. This painting has been the subject of many artistic debates for centuries. Some people say that this is da Vinci’s self portrait, with him depicting himself as a woman (Huffington Post, 2010). Others say that this was his mistress who was married to the man who commissioned the painting. Many people simply wonder what Mona Lisa is smiling about; is she possibly hiding a secret?
Da Vinci was notified of his father’s death on July 9, 1504. Unfortunately, da Vinci was not given his rightful inheritance from his father’s death. Instead, his half brothers and sisters were awarded the full amount of the inheritance. After the death of his uncle, da Vinci was finally given the inheritance that he deserved and was given control of his uncle’s assets.
Da Vinci began working for the Pope in Rome in 1513. Da Vinci was able to take on several projects for the Pope, including painting and architecture, but was forbidden from dissecting human cadavers. Da Vinci wanted to continue his study of human biology, so he left the commission of the Pope in 1516.
In 1516, da Vinci was offered the position of Premier Painter, Engineer, and Architect of the King Frances I in France (Museum of Science, n.d.). This would be da Vinci’s last employer. Da Vinci was allowed to live in a manor house near the royal palace in Amboise. In addition to this, da Vinci was given a commission for his work. Da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France.
Leonardo da Vinci is the greatest artistic and scientific mind of his era and is a true renaissance man. Although da Vinci’s scientific abilities were influenced by nature, his artistic abilities were influenced by nurture, rather than by nature. Da Vinci was sent to school to learn to be an artist. As a boy, his father encouraged him to learn to paint. Even as an adult, da Vinci was not naturally influenced to create his paintings. He was influenced by the people who paid him to paint. He painted whatever they told him to paint, and therefore he was not naturally influenced at all.
Da Vinci embraced many forms of creativity. His most famous painting is “The Mona Lisa,” although some say that da Vinci was the true creator of the “Shroud of Turin.” If this were true, the shroud would be Da Vinci’s most creative painting. Da Vinci also had many other creative outlets, such as architecture, anatomy, and machinery.
Da Vinci still influences society today. Art students around the world still study da Vinci’s work. Much of da Vinci’s work is still a mystery because so much of it was left unfinished. His work leaves philosophers and historians to contemplate what the intended finished project would have been. Da Vinci was the first inventor of the military tank and also the inventor of the contact lens. Because of da Vinci’s extensive study of anatomy, he was able to create a corrective lens that sits directly on the eye; however this technology did not materialize until centuries later. Da Vinci sketched several drawings of flying machines. These flying machines were not manufactured in his lifetime, and were in fact not manufactured for another four hundred years. Clearly, da Vinci’s work is still influencing society around the world. Da Vinci’s ideas have shaped many of the inventions of today and will likely continue to influence new ideas in the future.
References:
Museum of Science. (n.d.). Rennaissance Man. Retrieved from http://www.mos.org/leonardo/bio.html
(2010, January 27). Mona Lisa a self-portrait? Da Vinci's remains to be exhumed to solve mystery. Huffingtong Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/mona-lisa-a-self-portrait_n_439108.html
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