"Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it."
- Leonardo DA Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian Painter/ Inventor
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was born to Piero da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman.
Leonardo grew up in his father's home, and was exposed to Vinci's painting traditions. When he was 15 years old he became an apprentice at the renowned workshop of Andrea del Verrochio in Florence. Even as an apprentice Leonardo demonstrated incredible artistic talent.
Leonardo spent many of his young adult years working for Ludovico il Moro in Milan. He later found work in Rome, Bologna and Venice. He spent his last years in France.
Because Leonardo's interests were so varied, he was easily distracted and had trouble completing projects. During the 17 years he spent working for the Duke of Milan (1482-1499) he completed only six works, including The Last Supper and The Virgin on the Rocks. Dozens of paintings and projects were never completed.
Da Vinci has come to be regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time, and quite possibily the most talented person that has ever lived. Helen Gardner remarked that "the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent... His mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote."Throughout his life his interests led him to develop many talents and become many things including a mathematician, inventor, engineer, scientist, anatomist, painter, sculptor, botanist, architect, musician and writer. He has been described as a renaissance man "whose unquenchable curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention."
Leonardo da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 in Amboise, Touraine which is today Indre-et-Loire, France. The Last Supper and Mona Lisa are among his greatest artistic acheivements. The Mona Lisa is among the most recognizable artworks in the world.
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| Anghiary |
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| Grotesque |
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| Hands |
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| St. John the Baptist |
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| Mona Lisa |
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| Last Supper |
