The life of Leonardo Da Vinci

14 March - 2019
by Vincent Moleveld

14113

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, scientist, philosopher and inventor of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the village of Vinci in Tuscany and was the illegitimate son of the wealthy Florentine notary Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci and Catharina, a peasant girl. During his childhood, Da Vinci completed a basic course in Latin, geometry and mathematics. In 1466 he was apprenticed to the sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) in Florence. Here he received both theoretical and technical training and studied drawing, chemistry, metalworking, mechanics, painting, sculpture and modeling. His talent for the arts was unmistakable and soon he achieved master status.

The life of Leonardo Da Vinci

Da Vinci traveled a lot and worked for many different important families in Italy. He worked for, among others, the influential d’Medici family. From 1482, Leonardo da Vinci was able to work at the court of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. Under his patronage, Da Vinci painted some of his most famous paintings, including "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa." He also worked for a time in the Vatican under the patronage of the Pope Leo X. In 1516 he decided to work at the court of the French king Frans I. He died here on 2 May 1519 at the age of 67.

Own studio

It is assumed that Leonardo da Vinci worked in his own studio in Florence between 1476 and 1481. In 1478 he was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the Chapel of Saint Bernard. In 1481 he started working for Augustinian monks in Florence with the painting The Adoration of the Magi, based on the Biblical story of the Three Wise Men from the East who worshiped the baby Jesus. But since he left for Milan in 1481, Da Vinci never completed this painting. Remarkable about The Adoration of the Magi is the equivalent arrangement of the Three Wise Men in symmetry around Mary with the baby Jesus. Before that time there was no question of symmetry in images of this Biblical scene

Mona Lisa

Between 1503 and 1506, Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, the famous painting of a woman who - wherever you are - always seems to be looking at you with her mysterious smile. The painting shows a woman standing in front of a mountain landscape. This lady was probably Lisa, the eega of silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Nowadays the Mona Lisa can still be admired in the Louvre in Paris.

Last years of life

In 1500, Leonardo da Vinci returned to Florence, where he was employed as a military architect by Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI. Together with Borgia he traveled a lot through Italy. In Florence, Da Vinci was involved in 1504 in the discussions about the relocation of the famous statue David by Michelangelo (against his will), which was controversial because it concerned a nude statue. Only after amendment of the Florence legislation could the statue be placed in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (where Dante's death mask still stands today).

Most famous paintings Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo has made the most of his reputation with his painting, such as his paintings "The Virgin on the Rocks" (1483-1486), "The Last Supper" (1498) and the "Mona Lisa" (1503-1505). Da Vinci has also done a lot of research into human anatomy. He has also made many inventions, few of which were ultimately built. He was obsessed with flying, for example, and made designs for various flying machines.