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Posted by Impact Posters Gallery on 21st Jan 2016

The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci

The Mona Lisa is probably the most recognizable and iconic works of art ever and it was created over 500 years ago by an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci. Among his art masterpieces, Leonardo was a true genius in various disciplines ranging from science to sculpting, astronomy to mathematics and was a true visionary inventor. To this day, he may be considered one of the most gifted individuals in human history.

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 just outside of Florence, Italy. Growing up he struggled to receive a decent education due to the fact that he was born out of wedlock, which in that time period was heavily looked down upon. Despite the societal disadvantage that was beyond his control, young Leonardo eventually found his calling at the age of 15 when he became the apprentice of Andrea del Verrochio, a painter from Florence. During his time spent learning under Verrochio, Leonardo developed and honed his skills as an artist but still felt a natural desire to create and build the inventions that he envisioned.

Eventually, the desire to invent won Leonardo over and in 1482 he moved to Milan, which was more focused on politics and military rather than art and culture like Florence was. He found employment under Duke Ludovico Sforza as a military engineer. During the years spent in Milan, he was able to develop his famous war machines as well as continue pursuing his other passions such as painting, sculpting, and studying science. His passion for science and understanding the human body led him to create the masterpiece titled “Vitruvian Man” as well as perform more than 30 autopsies in his lifetime. While the years he spent in Milan are considered to be his most productive years in terms of inventing and contributions to science, his most famous work had not been created yet and in 1499 he left Milan after the French invaded and forced out his employer, Duke Sforza.

After leaving Milan, Leonardo spent his time traveling throughout Italy focusing on his works of art. It is believed to be around 1505 when Leonardo began working on the Mona Lisa, which would later become his most renowned masterpiece. He traveled and lived in cities such as Rome and Venice until his death in 1519. Over this lifetime Leonardo had brought to life numerous masterpieces of art and sculpture, envisioned and created inventions that were well ahead of his time in terms of technology. Leonardo da Vinci’s accomplishments, influences and areas of expertise truly epitomized him as the true meaning of a “Renaissance Man”.

The list of his works of art and inventions are truly astounding but number far too many to list, however here are some of his most iconic and recognizable works like the Mona Lisa (believed to be completed in 1517), The Last Supper (1498), Vitruvian Man (1490) St. John the Baptist (1513), Portrait of a man in red chalk (1512). Some of his most well-known inventions and plans are the anemometer (used to measure wind speed), helicopter plans (which he called Aerial Screw), an early concept of the parachute, an armored car, giant crossbow, triple barrel canon, a robotic knight, a self-propelled cart, and early concepts of scuba gear.