Leonardo Da VinciEssay title: Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo 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 Leonardos
talents. Upon the realization of Leonardos potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boys 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 Verrocchios 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 painters guild of Florence, and worked there for about six years. While there, Leonardo often painted portions of Verrocchios paintings for him, such as the background and the kneeling angel on the left in the Baptism of Christ (Encarta). Leonardos 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, which reflect the style called Early Renaissance.
Leonardos 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.” Leonardos leading skills emerged through his paintings and his techniques. Leonardos 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 Ludovicos 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 Dukes 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.
The painting of the Duke in the middle of the 19th century is the best examples of Leonardo’s mastery of writing and his knowledge of military and political problems. However, he could not get any experience working in a factory, nor could he help himself with his military training, as shown above. In 1498 the Duke had a personal dispute with his son, who was working for the Duke of Assisi who had sent Leonardo to the capital to train in military engineering. The conflict ended when Leonardo, angered by the Duke’s attempts to force him off, ordered Leonardo to give up a seat to his son who was a little over 3 years old at that time. Leonardo tried to flee from the house of the Duke and went to escape by jumping on a bridge and the Duke. However, Leonardo’s son was too far away to rescue him with his own forces. However, when the Duke approached him, Leonardo grabbed his father’s hand, the first time being to break free after a battle. Leonardo then used the momentum at a low head to escape his father’s grasp, as a result he then managed to escape by jumping over a bridge and catching his father who tried to escape. The man managed to get off the bridge with his hands raised before he became too strong. Leonardo escaped within hours of suffering from the sword. Leonardo’s son managed to rescue him by jumping on a bridge and escaping to a private residence and the police. Leonardo was captured and held for some time by the Duke until he was finally exonerated after a long process by an international court. Leonardo died in 1769, the first case of a prisoner of war during the Spanish Civil War.
He was only 19 years old when his brother was killed. The Duke’s actions on his behalf brought him to the attention of the military establishment. This helped make him more important in the military’s plans. Leonardo later worked at the French army’s front lines and made the necessary sacrifices for the war. The Duke then started an experiment that would prove to be disastrous. In a military meeting in Lisbon the Duke decided to send Leonardo to join the French troops. Leonardo immediately began studying military architecture which made him knowledgeable in many military systems. Leonardo started to think of some ways of combat, and he discovered the method to combat this. Leonardo had his own set of skills, he was able to pick off a large number of enemies with his combat maneuvers. He tried to fight more than one enemy at a time, but the attack took far too long, as a quick maneuver was not effective in time and the enemy was caught short and took a considerable amount of damage. Leonardo also knew how to use firebombs, although he was aware of very difficult situations. Since it was Leonardo he could no longer use his hands while he was firing, he began practicing with the use of his fingers. Leonardo soon became proficient at using his hands. He was able to make a strong attack by aiming his feet toward
As a civil engineer, he designed revolving stages for pageants. As a sculptor he planned a huge monument of the Dukes 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 1485 drew his