Leonardo Da Vinci
Childhood and Education (1452–1469)Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in the small village of Anchiano, near Vinci, in Tuscany. He was the illegitimate son of Piero da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman. He was raised in his father’s household and received an informal education, learning to read, write, and do arithmetic, but above all showing from a young age a strong inclination for drawing and observing nature. At the age of 14, he moved to Florence, where he became an apprentice in the prestigious workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, a Renaissance artist and master. There, Leonardo was trained in painting, sculpture, perspective techniques, engineering, and mechanical arts. Early Artistic Successes in Florence (1470–1482)In the following decade, Leonardo began to distinguish himself as a painter. Among his early attributed works are Annunciation (circa 1472–1475) and The Baptism of Christ, in collaboration with Verrocchio. His soft shading technique and attention to detail quickly gained him recognition in the Florentine art scene. At the Court of Ludovico il Moro in Milan (1482–1499)Around 1482, Leonardo moved to Milan, to the court of Ludovico Sforza, known as "il Moro." He remained there for nearly twenty years, working as a painter, engineer, stage designer, architect, and military planner. Among the most important works from this period:
He also designed the famous equestrian monument to Francesco Sforza, never completed but documented through drawings and models. During these years, Leonardo compiled numerous notebooks (including the Codex Atlanticus) with studies on mechanics, anatomy, hydraulics, architecture, botany, optics, and flight. Years of Travel and Return to Florence (1499–1516)With the fall of the Sforza in 1499, Leonardo left Milan. He traveled through Mantua and Venice and then returned to Florence. There, he received new commissions:
During these years, Leonardo continued his scientific investigations, particularly in anatomy, collaborating with hospitals to perform dissections and study the human body, which he documented in exquisite drawings. He also worked for Cesare Borgia as a military engineer and cartographer, and visited Rome, where he worked under the patronage of the Medici and encountered other artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, with whom he had rather tense relations. The Final Years in France (1516–1519)In 1516, invited by King Francis I of France, Leonardo moved to the Château du Clos Lucé, near Amboise, where he lived as the king’s painter and advisor. He brought with him several of his paintings, including The Mona Lisa, which entered the French royal collections. Despite his age and declining health (he suffered from paralysis in his right arm), he continued to work and study until his final days. He died on May 2, 1519, in Amboise, at the age of 67. He was buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert, within the Château d'Amboise. Legacy and InfluenceLeonardo da Vinci is universally regarded as one of the greatest geniuses in human history. His work united art and science in a revolutionary way for his time. His observations on the human body, flight, machinery, and natural phenomena are testimony to his extraordinary powers of observation, intuition, and invention. His artistic masterpieces have influenced generations of artists, and his manuscripts remain the subject of study today for their scientific, engineering, and philosophical value. Major Artistic Works
Writings and Notebooks
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