Few people have not heard of Leonardo da Vinci. To say that he was famous would be a major understatement. Whether you have learned about him through his famous Mona Lisa painting or the Hollywood twist of “The Da Vinci code”, his name is recognized in every country around the world. Most people envision Leonardo as a remarkable renaissance painter, but what they don’t know is that he was also a scientist, engineer, inventor, anatomist, and a sculptor. His works may be priceless, but what I am going to paint is the story of his life.

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci (Stanley 2). He was the son of Ser Piero da Vinci and Caterina; a notary and a peasant. He could not enter into any of the noble professions such as a banker, doctor or lawyer because he was not the legitimate son of Ser Piero. Nevertheless, his affluent father sent Leonardo to be apprenticed to his friend (one of the most successful artists of his day) Andrea di Cione, also known as Verrocchio. Rumor had it that Verrocchio once left Leonardo to paint an angel in his painting of St. John baptizing Jesus. The angel Leonardo painted was so much finer than anything Verrocchio ever painted, and as a result he never picked up a paintbrush again (Stanley 6). Leonardo completed his apprenticeship in 1466, and was later accepted into the painters’ guide.

Afterwards, Leonardo set up his own workshop and began looking for a patron to sponsor his work. He found his first patron to be the Duchy of Milan. In Milan, he painted many portraits and pieces of art. Leonardo was well known at the time to be a scatter brain. He began many artworks and projects but it was rare for him to ever complete a piece of work. As a result of this, he preferred to paint with oil colors because it allowed him to take as much time as he wanted to complete the painting. Although he rarely finished his work, he was able to finalize a few of his paintings. His most famous artwork during this time was the Last Supper which was painted with tempera. Unfortunately, the varnish had a negative reaction with the salt and acids in the wall. This caused the painting to chip away over time (Today only 20% of the last supper was actually painted by Leonardo. The rest was painted by restorers over the course of 500 years). Another famous project that Leonardo took on during his stay in Milan was the great bronze statue of Francesco Sforza mounted on a horse. The statue was to be four times the life size version. However, before Leonardo was able to create the statue, the French invaded Milan in 1499. Soon after the Duchy of Milan had been dethroned, Leonardo was out of job and looking for a new patron.

Leonardo found many patrons after leaving Milan, but the one who gave him the best conditions was his last patron, the King of France. When he arrived in France, Leonardo only brought three masterpieces with him. They were: the Mona Lisa, St. John the Baptist, and the Virgin and Child with St. Anne. At this point in his life, Leonardo was already an old but famous man. His most recognizable techniques in painting were how he gave all his artworks a three dimensional effect. He accomplished this by painting many layers upon the artwork. Each layer contained a different degree of shadow. He was also renown (famous) for giving all his portraits a sense of life and motion, making them appear as if they were moving a mere second before (Phillips 14).

In France, Leonardo would often have many conversations with the King where they shared each others opinions about life, art, and many other topics. The King showed great respect towards Leonardo. He once said he “did not believe that there had ever been another man born into the world who knew as much as Leonardo” (Stanley 40). At the ripe age of sixty-seven, Leonardo Da Vinci died in the arms of the King of France on May 2, 1519.

Other than his great accomplishments in painting and art, Leonardo was also an innovative inventor. He was a highly valued engineer and created many devices that would help protect cities during a siege. He devised many concepts beyond his time, such as: hydraulic pumps, reversible crank mechanisms, finned mortar shells, steam cannons, and tanks. Like many other people, Leonardo was captivated by flight. He created many hang gliders and helicopter designs, which were mostly unsuccessful. One account said that at one point Leonardo even created two wings made of canvases and tied one to each arm. He then leapt off a building in an attempt to fly. Of course the attempt failed, but eventually he was able to create the hang glider. Leonardo attributes his love of aviation as a result of an encounter with a hawk when he was a mere infant. The hawk was said to have brushed his forehead leaving him a life long desire for flying.

Although Leonardo was no specialist in science, he intrigued by it. He was looked down upon by most scientific organizations because of his lack of education in Latin and mathematics. Leonardo made up for his shortcomings by teaching himself Latin and studying mathematics under Luca Pacioli (Byrd 24). His more famous scientific accomplishments fell under the category of Anatomy. Leonardo was said to have dissected over thirty human bodies and many animals as well (Phillips 54). Being an artist, it was simple for him to draw the human body parts in immense detail. Even though Leonardo dissected many animals, he did not take any pleasure in it. In fact, Leonardo was a vegetarian and would often buy birds in markets just to free them. Some of his well known works in anatomy is the Vitruvian Man and his drawing of a fetus in a womb.

Out of countless other artists, I choose Leonardo da Vinci as my topic because he was unique. He excelled not only in art but in many other fields as well. He was a very well rounded man, who looked at the world in an analytical perspective. I was compelled to find out more about him ever since the release of the movie “The Da Vinci Code”, because I had a feeling that there was more to the artist than just a wide spread Hollywood conspiracy. After discovering so many fascinating things about him, I conclude that it is not that painting that makes the artist, but the artist that makes the painting.