Leonardo da Vinci

Born Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci in the Florentine village of Vinci in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci is revered to this day as the archetypical Renaissance man, as well as one of the most brilliant and free thinking minds in the history of humanity. While best known in modern times for his paintings and sculptures, Leonardo is also widely recognized for his contributions as a musician, architect, engineer, mathematician and inventor, among other notable talents and areas of creative genius. In his 67 year lifetime, Leonardo da Vinci would leave an enduring impression on, not just Italy, but all the world; an impression that to this day is rivaled by none.

As an apprentice to in the renowned Verrocchio at age 14, it is suspected that da Vinci may have served as artistic inspiration or otherwise influenced some of Verrocchio’s works during this time. In addition to painting and sculpting, da Vinci would have been exposed to many other disciplines in both the arts and sciences, via his association with other well known artists of the day, such as Botticelli, throughout the course of his apprenticeship to Verrocchio.

Da Vinci’s most famous paintings inarguably include the Mona Lisa (1503-1506) and The Last Supper (1495). Art enthusiasts the world over, however, also flock to the world’s great museums to view Madonna with the Carnation (1470-1473), Annunciation (1470-1475), Baptism of Christ (1473-1478), Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci (1474-1476), Madonna with Child – Benois Madonna (1478-1482), Adoration of the Magi (1482), The Virgin of the Rocks – Paris (1483-1486), Lady with the Ermine – Cecilia Gallerani (1488-1490), Madonna with the Spindle (1501), Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (1501), The Virgin of the Rocks – London (1495-1508), Bacchus – Saint John (1510-1517), and Saint John the Baptist (1510-1517).

Leonardo da Vinci is, in modern times, recognized for his paintings as well as his early contributions to science, engineering and medicine, including his detailed drawings of the human anatomy which are still highly regarded by the scientific community of today. Early “doodles” of parachutes and flying machines bear a striking resemblance to the nineteenth and twentieth century inventions, and Leonardo da Vinci has been revered for his unique, backwards – or, mirror script – journal entries; the purpose for which is relatively speculative but believed to have been an effort to conceal his work. For each individual, there is a unique reason behind their admiration of the works of Leonardo da Vinci; the quintessential Renaissance man.

With an understanding of the growth of children in a mother’s womb, he was far ahead of his time. While some artists showed they were more than craftsmen, Da Vinci invented the concept of the artistic genius. His constant experiments with paintings techniques and materials were not all successful, and while he had paint a number of pictures, only around fifteen of his paintings have survived. Da Vinci was very secretive about his work, and because he did not publish his inventions, he did not get recognition in his own time for his ideas. Granted, many of the drawings of helicopters, tanks, and double hulled ships were too early to fall within man's capabilities at that time. The influence of Leonardo da Vinci's work is far-reaching,especially in modern times, and the immense respect that is due to him for genius is certainly well-deserved.