Da Vinci Essay Research Paper Leonardo Da

Da Vinci Essay, Research Paper

Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most

ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art,

science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has

put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April

15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect,

musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to

Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary

for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with

his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of

the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible

artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo.s talents. Upon the realization of

Leonardo.s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in

Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy.s education and his quest

for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a “Renaissance

child” because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as

being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an

imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At

an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany,

geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows

(About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was

apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading

Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio.s workshop

Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of

altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in

marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter.s guild of

Florence, and worked there for about six years. While there, Leonardo often

painted portions of Verrocchio.s paintings for him, such as the background

and the kneeling angel on the left in the Baptism of Christ (Encarta).

Leonardo.s sections of the painting have soft shadings, with shadows

concealing the edges. These areas are distinguished easily against the sharply

defined figures and objects of Verrocchio, that reflect the style called Early

Renaissance. Leonardo.s more graceful approach marked the beginning of

the High Renaissance. However, this style did not become more popular in

Italy for another 25 year (Gilbert 46). Leonardo actually started the

popularization of this style. For this reason Leonardo could be called the

“Father of the High Renaissance.” Leonardo.s leading skills emerged through

his paintings and his techniques. Leonardo.s talents soon drew him away

from the Guild and in 1472 Leonardo finished his first complete painting,

Annunciation. In 1478 Leonardo reached the title of an Independent Master.

His first large painting, The Adoration of the Magi (begun in 1481), which

was left unfinished, was ordered in 1481 for the Monastery of San Donato a

Scopeto, Florence. Other works ascribed to his youth are the Benois

Madonna (1478), the portrait Ginevra de. Benci (1474), and the unfinished

Saint Jerome (1481). Leonardo expanded his skills to other branches of

interest and in 1481 Leonardo wrote an astonishing letter to the Duke of

Milan, Ludovico Sforza. In this letter he stated that he knew how to build

portable bridges; that he knew the techniques of constructing bombardments

and of making cannons; that he could build ships as well as armored vehicles,

catapults, and other war machines; and that he could execute sculpture in

marble, bronze, and clay. Thus, he entered the service of the Duke in 1482,

working on Ludovico.s castle, organizing festivals, and he became recognized

as an expert in military engineering and arms. Under the Duke, Leonardo

served many positions. He served as principal engineer in the Duke.s

numerous military enterprises and was active as an architect (Encarta). As a

military engineer Leonardo designed artillery and planned the diversion of

rivers. He also improved many inventions that were already in use such as the

rope ladder. Leonardo also drew pictures of an armored tank hundreds of

years ahead of its time. His concept failed because the tank was too heavy to

be mobile and the hand cranks he designed were not strong enough to

support such a vehicle. As a civil engineer, he designed revolving stages for

pageants. As a sculptor he planned a huge monument of the Duke.s father

mounted up on a leaping horse. The Horse, as it was known, was the

culmination of 16 years of work. Leonardo was fascinated by horses and

drew them constantly. In The Horse, Leonardo experimented with the horses’

forelegs and measurements. The severe plagues in 1484 and

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