Essay, Research Paper: Leonardo Davinci

The Renaissance Man
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most talented and respected
artists of all time. Leonardo, the illigitamate son of Ser Piero
da Vinci and a peasant woman named Caterina. He was born on April
15,1452 in a lion colored home at the bottom of the Tuscan Hills,
in the village of Vinci, wich is what his name comes from meaning
from Vinci(Summers,p.1).
Da Vinci was said to be the first artist to be considered
equal to royalty, maybe because other artists lacked something
that da Vinci had, an imaginative, highly complex scientific mind.
By incorperating his mind power and his art he managed to create
painting that move hearts, minds, and souls(Wohl,p.6).
Leonardo kept a journal-sketchbook in which he recorded his
thoughts, scetches and designs of his latest creations. Though no
personal feelings were recorded, we still have learned a great deal
about his personality. It was aparrent that Leonardo was a man of
many contradictions and uncertainties, these things are primarily
reflected by his diverse thoughts, and his neverending search for
the perfect form(Bacci,p.5). For me the most interesting thing
found in his sketchbook is the manor in wich he recorded
information,in a way that a normal glancing eye can't
deciphere his right to left, reversed letter print(Wallace,p.13).
In the late 1460's, Leonardo became an apprentice to Andrea
Del Verrocchio, who was the leading painter and sculptor in
Florence at the time. After some years Leonardo finished his
apprentiship to Verrocchio, he stayed and went on to become his
assistant(Summers,p.1). At age 20 da Vinci was admitted into the
in 1478(Wallace,p.16). Shortly after he received a
commission to paint a church altar piece Known as the adoration of
the kings. This particular piece like many others remained
unfinished due to his leaving of Florence. Even though some works
were left inccomplete, he did manage to produce many life studies,
and many designs, one of them being a water powered
engine(Wohl,p.8).
Leonardo Moved to the city of Milan in 1482 and became coart
artist for Ludovilo Sforza,the duke of Milan. da Vinci had a
number of rolesas coart artist. As a military engineer da Vinci
designed artillary and complex fortresses which could be a great
resource during times of war. As a civil engineerhe divised a
stages for pageants that were to be held in town, da
Vinci also made plans and studies for a huge monument ofthe dukes
father mounted onto a horse, though it either was never
completed(Summers,p.2).
leonardo's painting career and acomplishments can be divided
into two major time periods, the Florence years, and the Milan
years. da Vinci's first documented paintingwas in 1475 when he
assisted Verrocchio with the Baptism of Christ by painting the
angel. Then in 1478 he began to paint the so called Benois and
finally finished in 1480. At the same time that he finished
Benois. he started on Saint Jerome, even though it reminded
unfinished it is still considered to be a hallmark of his mature
style. Probably one of the most important of his early paintings
was the Adoration of Magi. This painting displays for the first
time, his method of organizing object into pyramids so that the
point of intrest is focused on the main subject. This painting
was started in 1481 but was also unfinished because of his move to
Milan 1482.During his years in Milan, da Vinci produced Madonna of
the Rocks, the supposed meeting of the christ child, an altar
piece that was started in 1483 and took two years to complete.
That painting was then followed by Duke Lodovico's favorite
portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, this particular painting took a
total of five years to complete. In 1495 da Vinci began to paint
The Last Supper, a 13'10''x 29'7.5'' piece that shows Jesus at the
table with the apostles around him. One talked about feature of
this painting is the startled looks that da Vinci placed on the
apostles faces. The Last Supper was painted for the refectory of
the church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie(Brown,p.2).
Around 1508 da Vinci's painting career started to draw to an
end. A painting of the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is one of
the only paintings that remain from his last ten years
(Wallace,p.18). During his last years, Leonardo became first
painter and engineer to francis the first, king of france. Under
King Francis, da Vinci worked on many anatomical drawings,
of the the worlds greatest artists came to an end. It was said
that da Vinci in fact died in the arms of King Francis
(Summers,p.2).
da Vinci was praised as the highest expression of the
reaissance(Bacci,p.9). The career of Leonardo da Vinci is a
perfect example of the renaissance belief in man's power to shape
his own destiny and to shape the world around him(Wohl,p.14).
Works Cited
1 Bacci,Mina,Leonardo.New York:Avenel Books,1978
2 Brown,David,Leonardo da Vinci.Grolier Electronic Publishing
Inc.1995
3 Summers,David."Leonardo da Vinci" The World Book Multimedia
Encyclopedia
4 Wallace,Robert.The World of Leonardo.New York:Time
Incorporated,1966
McGraw-Hill Book Company,1967