Leonardo Da Vinci Biography

Portfolio Leonardo da Vinci

Part 1 Biography

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15th, 1452 in the village of Anchiano, near Vinci Italy. His father Piero da Vinci was a notary while is mother Caterina was an agricultural worker. Leonardo is referred to as a Renaissance man due to having lived during the era of new ideas, thinking, and exploration.

Timeline of Leonardo's major events

1452 Leonardo is born

1467 Moved to Florence at age 15 to work as a pupil to Andrea De Verrocchio, who later gave up his career due to Leonardo's work overshadowing his in a shared painting.

1472 Accepted into the painter's guild of Florence. Age 20

1478 -1485 the following paintings were created-The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi, Virgin of the Rocks, Lady with an Ermine.

1482 Leonardo was hired by city of Milan's duke, Duke Ludovico Sforza, and had been given title of painter and engineer of the duke.

1498 Painting The Last Supper is completed after two years.

1502 Begins work as a senior military architect and general engineer for Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI

1503 Leonardo is commissioned to paint the Mona Lisa

1516 King of France invites Leonardo to work for him

1519 death of Leonardo in France on May 2nd

As the timeline denotes, Leonardo was educated by being an apprentice to painters throughout the country and being part of a painter's guild. Although Leonardo moved from city to city to complete his work and left many paintings unfinished, his works of art are still being admired 492 years after his death. Leonardo has inspired many painters around the world and impacted the view of many art scholars.

Part 2 Artist

Leonardo da Vinci was a painter who believed that an artist had to understand their structure in order to paint objects or people. He had a keen interest for human anatomy and therefore dissected bodies to satisfy his curiosity. He was interested in capturing human's emotions in a painting, hence one of his most famous portraits, The Mona Lisa.

One of Leonardo's famous oil paintings, The Mona Lisa, also known as La Gioconda, is said to be a portrait of the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. However, scholars doubt this story and there are many opinions as to who the woman in the painting really is. This painting, which took a total of seven years to complete, is mainly appreciated by art majors due to the subtle detail, including the faint smile and the unique gaze. This painting also comes with a dimensional quality that comes from the soft background and makes the horizon look far away. The Mona Lisa can be found in Louvre in Paris.

Another one of Da Vinci's famous painting is The Last Supper, which was actually painted on the walls of a dining hall, represents the last meal shared by Jesus and his disciples. Art historians believe that Leonardo captured each disciple's reactions when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him. We see Judas holding a knife while the other disciples, who are grouped in threes, seem to be surprised. In this painting Da Vinci also created a dimensional quality that comes from the room where the last supper was held. The painting took three years to complete and can be found in the church Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Virgin of the Rocks, one of Leonardo's masterpieces, also known as Madonna of the Rocks, depicts Mary, who is referred to as the Madonna of Humility, sitting with Christ child and St John the Baptist along with an angel. This painting was requested by the Milanese Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception for their church in San Francesco Grande. Mary has her arm around infant St John the Baptist who is making a gesture of prayer to the Christ child. In return, Christ child blesses St John, hence the fingers pointing at him. Art historians have intensively discussed and focused the mystical landscape with rivers that seem to lead nowhere; the rock formation along with the angelic and soft faces of the people in the painting. Scholars have also discussed the fact that the divine figures in this portrait do not