Leonardo Da Vinci - Critical Analysis

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the small town of Vinci, in Tuscany (Toscana), near Florence, Italy. Leonardo's parents were unmarried at the time of his birth. His father, Ser Piero, was a Florentine notary from a respected family, and his mother, Caterina, a poor farmers daughter, who shortly thereafter married and artisan. Leonardo was raised by his father and grew up on his father's family estate. Leonardo never married or had children, and died on May 2, 1519 at the age of 67, buried in San Fiorentino in Amboise.

During his life, he was a painter, sculptor, and architect and an engineer. He sketched mechanical drawings such as flying machines, and armored tanks that were centuries ahead of his time, he was frequently consulted as a technical advisor in the fields of architecture, fortifications, and military matters, and served as a hydraulic and mechanical engineer. Da Vinci's numerous skills earned him the title of the "Renaissance Man". Famous in his lifetime and best remembered today as a skilled painter, for his masterpieces, such as the Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks, and the Last Supper.

Leonardo da Vinci made a profound impact on society and artist with his beautiful works of art portrayed reality and his use of light and three-dimensional effects. Da Vinci was intelligent beyond his time and was known as one of the best scientific minds of the Renaissance period. His brilliant theoretical expressions of mechanical and technical inventions, found in journals after his death, inspired many artist, scientist, and engineers.

When looking at the 16th century piece of art, the Mona Lisa, c.1503-1505, Oil on panel 30 ¼ x 21", I notice the shadowing eyes and a slight smile and the perfection of her lips, the slight line of the veil across her forehead and her hair. Her hands look so natural in their true form. Her apparel blends so well with the background that you cannot define where her clothing ends and the background begins, it draws my eyes back to the center of the portrait, back to her face. The stream and winding road illuminates in the background from the reflection of the horizon.

The Mona Lisa, measuring 30 ¼ x 21", is life size in appearance, which makes it captivating at first glance. The beauty of the model, whose identity is still questioned today and is rumored to be Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, is well displayed by Leonardo using techniques of chiaroscuro (the use of light and shade), and sfumato (fine shading producing soft, transitions between colors and tones).

Leonardo da Vinci's 16th century painting, the Mona Lisa, is one of his most famous masterpieces. The size of the portrait captures my attention, simulating reality and seems to focus on all things beautiful in the natural setting, the model,