One of the most celebrated artists of the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci was a maestro of painting, drawing, sculpting, and architecture. He is also known for his never-ending search for knowledge and his significant contributions to the field of science. Da Vinci recorded his experimentation and theories through a plethora of drawings. However, completed works by him are limited. The most popularly known amongst them is The Mona Lisa.
Education
Leonardo at the age of fourteen started his training for nine years in Andrea del Verrocchio’s atelier near Florence. Verrocchio at this time was a famed sculptor, painter, and a goldsmith. It is likely that Da Vinci was introduced to other prominent artists like Sandro Botticelli at Verrocchio’s workshop. Da Vinci trained alongside his fellows who later became celebrated names themselves, these included – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi.
Early Life
The Vinci started to paint as a professional by the age of twenty near Florence. Here, he was given the task of painting the Adoration of the Magi by one of the Florentine churches. However, the painter moved to Milan without completing the work as he was offered better renumerations there. When in Milan, Da Vinci worked not only as a professional painter but was also appointed under the service of Ludovico Sforza – the ruler of Milan. After staying here for the longest period of his life, Leonardo spent his last years in Rome and France where he died.
Signature Works
Leonardo Da Vinci’s signature works include the following:
– Mona Lisa: A world-famous portrait renowned for its revolutionary, smoky sfumato blending technique and mysteriously shifting smile.
– The Last Supper: A monumental mural capturing dramatic psychological reactions that began deteriorating almost immediately due to experimental paint techniques.
– Vitruvian Man: A rare pen-and-ink drawing mapping perfect human geometry by overlaying a body inside a circle and square.
– Salvator Mundi: A portrait of Christ holding a crystal orb that became the most expensive painting ever sold at public auction.
Da Vinci is also known for his highly realistic anatomical drawings, studies, and his futuristic designs of various scientific inventions.
Impact
Da Vinci is known to have perfected mathematical perspective rules. This included refining the vanishing points, aerial perspective, and transforming the two-dimensional picture-plane into a three-dimensional spatial experience. He used drawing as one of his most important tools for experimenting, recording, and studying various subjects and fields. Furthermore, Da Vinci is known for his interest in a variety of disciplines including botany, optics, and human anatomy. His intensive study of anatomy encouraged later artists to capture human essence in the most life-like manner possible.