Leonardo Da Vinci Research Paper

Once there lived a man who was gifted with the power of looking at the same object in many different fashions sometimes as a painter would look at it, sometimes as a naturalist, sometimes as a physicist, at other times as a poet and not one of those fashions was superficial (Valery. 1958). With all the technical advances from today, most artist and inventors are inspired by this man. Leonardo exemplified the resurgence, living, view, and producing art and technology that still characterizes that age of discovery.

When people think of Leonardo da Vinci, usually the first thing that comes to mind is The Da Vinci Code with Tom Hanks. But in reality people would say he was one of the finest artistic and scientific men of the Italian Renaissance Age. “The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa" are among one of his finest works of art. These art pieces were way ahead of Da Vinci’s time. Leonardo was not just a painter or artist but he was an inventor responsible for producing designs ranging from early tanks and submarines to the revolutionary "flying machine." His study and mastery of a wide range of disciplines, including sculpture, philosophy, and engineering, made Leonardo a symbol of the spirit of his age, and the personification of the term "Renaissance man."(Ryan & Daigle, 2005) We could start back when Da Vinci first was born to see the intellect of a brilliant mind.

April 15th, 1452 Leonardo was born in Vinci, Italy. Who knew on that day an infant would grow up to be known as the universal genius. He was raised by his father Piero da Vinci, a notary in Florence. At an early age Leonardo exhibited a considerable artistic talent so when he was fifteen Leonardo moved to Florence, Italy, this is when his life started to blossom, he was Andrea del Verrocchio’s apprentice. Verrocchio was a well-known artist for his time and began to show and develop Leonardo in painting and completing sculptures (Goldman. 1997). Leonardo stayed working with Verrocchio's until he turned 25.he then moved on and spent the next five years painting many different paintings with many different artists. When he reached the age of 30, he moved to Milan, Italy and became a court artist for Duke Ludovico Sforza. Becoming a court artist made Leonardo a jack-of-all-trades.
Not just known for an artist, Leonardo also was an inventor; there are three tiny little notebooks that house a collection of his works also called the Codex Forster, which are now kept in the Victoria and Alberta Museum in London, England. They are believed to have been written between 1495 and 1497 (Mills, 2008).
First let me talk about one of his most famous paintings, “Last Supper” he began to paint this piece in 1495 and this piece was commissioned by the Duke for the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. He tried to complete this painting as a mural on the wall using oil-based paint, but unfortunately the paint did not adhere to the wall and was a complete failure.
However this brings me to the fabulous painting “The Mona Lisa”, this painting represents elegance and pure beauty. Leonardo worked on this painting for four years until 1506. In 1506 Da Vinci abandoned work on the “Mona Lisa” to be the artistic advisor to the city’s French governor “Charles d’Amboise” at the request of King Louis XII of France
.(Ryan & Daigle, 2005) In 1513 Leonardo left Milan and traveled to Rome, Italy at the request of Pope Leo X. Once he arrived he was presented with a spacious art studio to complete more of his work. Da Vinci remained in Rome for four years, while there he completed only one major piece and that was a series of drawings which were titled “The Deluge”. Later on in 1517, King Francis I asked Leonardo to France and was going to make him the royal painter, architect, and mechanic to the king. He accepted and was given a salary and a place to live in the palace at Cloux. While he was there he became a teacher to a number of young inspiring artists to help them move on into their career. It was a very sad day on the 2nd of May 1519, this is the day that Leonardo Da Vinci left this earth to return to our heavenly father in the sky. He was surrounded by the king’s court in Cloux when he passed away. Leonardo will always be known for the great artist he was and teacher he has instilled on many of us. I think everyone has a little of Leonardo in them whether it be painting or from inventing to woodworking. When people write they write with their hearts, I know when Leonardo painted it was from his heart. People knew Leonardo da Vinci as a great painter, but my research also discovered the many different talents this great man had. Being one of the top inventors in the world he was responsible for many of the innovations that had transpired during the renaissance period.
He was as much an inventor as an artist. Though he never built many of the inventions he designed, some of the things he envisioned in the late 1400s are in use today, including helicopters and parachutes. Da Vinci was obsessed with war, and he sketched an armored vehicle that could carry eight men inside and allow them to fire weapons through holes in its walls. He drew and wrote about what we today call tanks more than 400 years before they were first used in combat during World War I. (Grant, 2010)
Leonardo Da Vinci is the key personality that enlightened the Renaissance with its outstanding talent. Other major figures, such as Francesco Di Giorgio, have left a rich legacy, especially in architecture and machinery design. Now when you close your eyes and picture an airplane or even a bird you could envision yourself in a way that Leonardo Da Vinci did when he thought out his inventions. This should tell everyone never give up on your dreams and always give 110% towards your achievements. Leonardo was a man that will forever be a great painter, inventor and mostly of all a legend.

Reference:
Goldman, P. (1997). Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519. Monkeyshines On Great Inventors, 63.
Grant, T. (2010). Da Vinci was both an artist and inventor. Journal - Gazette, D.8. Mills, A. A. (2008). Leonardo da Vinci and Perpetual Motion. Leonardo, 41(1), 39-42.
Ryan, J., & Daigle, J. (2005). Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci, 1.
Valery, P. (1958). Leonardo da Vinci. New Republic, 138(9), 17-19.