We explain who Leonardo Da Vinci was, his areas of study and influences. In addition, we explain what his works and general characteristics were.
Da Vinci was interested in unraveling the mysteries of the design of the human body.
Who was Leonardo Da Vinci?
Leonardo da Vinci was a famous Florentine painter, architect, scientist, writer, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, inventor, musician and urban planner who lived in Renaissance Italy between 1452 and 1519. He is considered by many to be the finest example of the Renaissance man, interested in a variety of fields of knowledge and in fostering his many creative and intellectual attributes.
Da Vinci He cultivated medicine and anatomyand he was interested in unraveling the mysteries of the design of the human body. He also devoted himself to analyzing mechanics and in fact dared to design artifacts with which he intended to fly. His are also great works of Western culture and art, preserved to this day as part of the European legacy of the 16th century, especially in painting.
They have surrendered to him numerous tributes throughout Western historyabout to consecrate him as one of the highest creative spirits ever known.
See also: Pythagoras
Birth of Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci Born in Florence (Italy) on April 15, 1452illegitimate descendant of a noble and wealthy family, the fruit of the love affair between Piero Fruosino di Antonio, a Florentine ambassador and notary, and a peasant girl named Caterina.
Being an illegitimate child, He did not have his father’s surname so his real name was Leonardo di ser Piero Da Vinci, that is, “Leonardo, son of the master Piero Da Vinci.”
Studies of Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci’s passion led him to become a renowned engineer and artist.
Having noticed his son’s talent for drawing, Leonardo’s father enrolled him in the workshop of Andrea del Verocchioone of the most prestigious artistic workshops of the time, where Leonardo was able to rub shoulders with other artists such as Boticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio.
There he learned to cultivate his passion for the various arts and different knowledge, from algorithmic calculation to sculptureHaving surpassed his master, Leonardo became a renowned artist and engineer, working for the patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.
He also did it for the Venetians whom he helped to design defences for their city and for Pope Leo X and the King of France Francis I. This journey allowed him to develop his talents in multiple areas of art and knowledge.
The three giants of the Renaissance
Despite not being exactly from the same generation, they are often considered Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael as the three most distinguished artists of Italy at the time, enormously influential in Western art and culture.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s influences
Leone Battista Alberti was one of Da Vinci’s influences.
Leonardo was immersed in an environment of art and high culture from an early age, which undoubtedly provided him with the powerful influences of the painter and sculptor. Donatello (master of da Vinci’s first master, Verocchio)Masaccio, Ghiberti, Piero della Francesca and Leone Battista Alberti.
It is considered that he had a strong influence of Renaissance humanism, in the figure of the old philosophers Ficino and Landino.
Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
The Mona Lisa is Da Vinci’s most famous work.
Leonardo’s great artistic genre was painting, above all others, although he was not a very prolific painter. His paintings have been reproduced and studied for centuries. and are today kept in the great historical museums of Europe.
Leonardo used innovative techniquesdaring to create compositions and use colours in extremely avant-garde ways. In addition, he applied his knowledge of anatomy, botany and geology to painting and, above all, he mastered “sfumato”, a technique of combining shadows and colours.
His most famous and acclaimed paintings are: The Mona Lisa (also called “Mona Lisa”) from 1503, The Last Supper of 1498, The Virgin of the Rocks of 1485, The Lady with an Ermine from 1490 and a famous Self-portrait of 1512.
Drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci devoted himself to drawing both anatomy and certain innovative machines.
Leonardo cultivated drawing not only for aesthetic and artistic purposes but also as a a means of studying human and animal anatomyarchitectural design, machinery or tools.
It is possible to find in his work sketches of human fetuses in the mother’s wombof skulls or female anatomy, along with descriptions of crossbows, flying machines, cranes, or equestrian battles.
One of his most famous drawings is the Vitruvian Mana description of the human body accompanied by anatomical notes that da Vinci made in 1490 in one of his diaries.
Sculpture by Leonardo Da Vinci
“Big Horse” was an unfinished work by Da Vinci that is now complete.
None of Da Vinci’s sculptures have survived to this day.However, it is known that he planned some very famous ones such as the “Big Horse”, an eight-metre-high bronze statue that was erected in Milan, but which remained unfinished despite the fact that 70 tonnes of metal were used to erect it.
Said metal It was melted down to make cannons during the Milan resistance. to the French invasion. Centuries later, a statue according to da Vinci’s plans was made in the United States and donated to Milan, where it can be seen.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Inventions
One of da Vinci’s most famous aspects was his role as an inventor. He designed numerous mechanisms and devices that were impossible for his time.such as precursors to the helicopter or rudimentary mirror polishing machines.
A significant number of these inventions can be read in his notebooks, including weapons and sketches of a theoretical city that would achieve urban perfection.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Accolades
Da Vinci’s life sparked the creation of books, novels and films around the world.
Da Vinci is a popular character in the western imagination and his work continues to inspire artistic creators as well as the popular imagination.
It is attributed to him arcane secrets and mysterious inventionswhich gave rise to books such as the novel (and later film) The Da Vinci Code (2003) by Dan Brown, or other similar fictions.
In other areas, a lunar crater, a martian crater and an asteroid (3000) They have been named Da Vinci in his honor.
Death of Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci He died on May 2, 1519after a long period of illness and pain, at the age of 67. He was buried in the chapel of Saint-Hubert, within the grounds of the castle of Amboise.
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