Leonardo Da Vinci free essay sample

Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci, in the lower valley of the Arno River in the territory of Florence. Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, a Florentine notary was his father, and Catherina, a peasant who may have been a slave from the Middle East was his mother. Leonardo had no surname in the modern sense, da Vinci simply meaning of Vinci: his full birth name was Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci, meaning Leonardo, son of Ser Piero from Vinci. Little is known about Leonardos early life. He spent his first five years in the hamlet of Anchiano, and then lived in the household of his father, grandparents and uncle, Francesco, in the small town of Vinci. His father had married a sixteen-year-old girl named Albiera, who loved Leonardo but died young. One, which he regarded as an omen, was when a kite dropped from the sky and hovered over his cradle, its tail feathers brushing his face. We will write a custom essay sample on Leonardo Da Vinci or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The second occurred while exploring in the mountains. He discovered a cave and was both terrified that some great monster might lurk there, and driven by curiosity to find out what was inside. Educational Background: In 1466, at the age of fourteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to the most successful artists of his day, Andrea di Cione, known as Verrocchio. Verrocchio educated Leonardo humanities. Other famous painters such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Botticelli, and Lorenzo di Credi were apprenticed with the workshop. Leonardo was exposed to technical and artistic skills. He had the opportunity to learn drafting, chemistry, leather working, mechanics, carpentry, drawing, painting, sculpting and modeling. Much of the painted production of Verrocchios workshop was done by his employees. According to Vasari, Leonardo work with Verrocchio on his Baptism of Christ, painting the young angel holding Jesus’ robe in a manner that was so far superior to his masters that Verrocchio put down his brush and never painted again. Leonardo himself was the model for two works by Verrocchio, which were the bronze statue of David in the Bargello and the Archangel Michael in Tobias and the Angel. By 1472, at the age of twenty, Leonardo qualified as a master in the Guild of St Luke, the guild of artists and octors of medicine, but even after his father set him up in his own workshop, his attachment to Verrocchio was such that he continued to work with him. Leonardos earliest work was done in pen and ink on August 5th, 1473; Arno valley. Training: Practically nothing is known about Leonardo’s boyhood, but Vasari informs us that Ser Piero, impressed with the remarkable character of his sonâ₠¬â„¢s genius, took some of his drawings to Andrea Del Verrocchio, an intimate friend, and begged him earnestly to express an opinion on them. Verrocchio was so astonished at the power they revealed that he advised Ser Piero to send Leonardo to study under him. Leonardo thus entered the studio of Andrea Del Verrocchio about 1469-1470. In the workshop of that great Florentine sculptor, goldsmith, and artist he met other craftsmen, metal workers, and youthful painters, among whom was Botticelli, at that moment of his development a jovial _habitue_ of the Poetical Supper Club, who had not yet given any premonitions of becoming the poet, mystic, and visionary of later times. There also Leonardo came into contact with that unoriginal painter Lorenzo di Credi, his junior by seven years. He also, no doubt, met Perugino, whom Michelangelo called â€Å"that blockhead in art. † The genius and versatility of the Vincian painter was, however, in no way dulled by intercourse with lesser artists than himself; on the contrary he vied with each in turn, and readily outstripped his fellow pupils. Influences: Da Vinci studied under Verrocchio, where Botticelli was also a student. His main influences were Masaccio, Donatello, Fra Filippo Lippi, Piero Della Francesca and Uccello. Younger artist who were in Florence while Da Vinci was there included Michelangelo, whom he despised, and Raphael. Leonardo was the son of a very rich and influential man (Yes, he was illegitimate, but he had a very extensive education and was surrounded by important people all his life). Da Vinci would study from the great people who came before you. Da Vinci the scientist observed nature and systematically recorded his observations. He studied every detail of the human body by dissecting corpses. In his study of animals da Vinci focused on the mystery of flight. His copious notes covered a vast range of topics from the sun, moon, and stars, to fossils and flying. His works provided a base for scientists to work from for centuries. During the Renaissance, math and science went hand in hand, thanks to the Greeks. da Vinci, along with other artists of the day, used geometry to produce a new style of painting, a style that allowed the observe to see the scene as in real life. This developed into the concept of perspective, which used light and depth perception to depict a 3D scene on a 2D surface. Because he typified the idea of the Renaissance. The term Renaissance Man refers to one who was capable of excelling at a wide variety of activities. Leonardo was an accomplished scientist, architect, engineer, painter, designer, physiologist, etc. Truly he was not simply a man of the Renaissance; he was the prototype of the Renaissance Man. Personality issues Subject matter: idk Life story: 452: Leonardo is born close to the town of Vinci in the countryside near Florence 1466-1469: Leonardo moves to Florence and becomes an apprentice in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio 1472: Leonardo paints one of the angels in Verrocchio’s painting ‘The baptism of Christ’. He also finishes his apprenticeship, becoming a master artist and a member of Florence’s Guild of Saint Luke 1481: Leonardo leaves Florence for Milan, where he finds work at the court of Duke Ludovico Sforza 1490: Leonardo works on the Sforza horse and draws the Vitruvian Man, among other things. Salai joins the studio as an apprentice. 1497: Work on ‘The last supper’ in under way. 1498: Ludovico Sforza gives Leonardo a vineyard in Milan, but there is not much time for him to enjoys it, as in the fall of 1499, French troops invade the city and Leonardo leaves 1500-1505: Leonardo works in Florence again, along with his great rival, the artist and sculptor Michelangelo 1503: Leonardo begins work on his most famous painting the ‘Mona Lisa’. In 1506-1513, he is back in Milan-the city is now ruled by French 1513: Leonardo moves to Rome, where he lives and works at the Vatican court(the pope’s headquarters). 516: Leonardo moves to France to work for the king, Francis I. Salai is one of his companions. In 1519, Leonardo dies, at the age of 67, in Amboise, France. Level of success: Today, there are records of only few Da Vinci paintings, and 20 notebooks. Thankfully, these works have been preserved over the hundreds of years since Leonardos time, and while his works are scattered in different areas of the globe, everyone can enjoy Da Vinci through the numerous books detailing his life, or through any of the many Da Vinci posters that have been printed. A well-known master in the history of art, Leonard Da Vinci is renown by people all over the map, and those of us who cannot travel to view the true works that the genius created can at least bring home a piece of him when we buy Da Vinci posters or prints. His most famous paintings are among the most influential works ever created. Legacy, Impact: Leonardos greatness lies in the diversity of his knowledge. His depth of understanding across a broad range of disciplines sets him aside from his contemporaries. Even by todays standards it would be difficult to find an individual who embraced Anatomy, Biology, Engineering, Architecture, and Science in addition to being one of the greatest painters of all time. The tragedy is that much of his scientific work was not published in his lifetime, and was only re-discovered many years after his death at a time when science had already embraced many of his ideas. There is little doubt that had his work been publicised in the Renaissance era it would have advanced the knowledge of the time. His left handed mirror-writing also caused problems. It created a code that needed breaking before his unpunctuated manuscripts could be understood. Also many of his scientific papers have been lost or damaged and are dispersed throughout the world. As an artist it is universally agreed that Leonardos marriage of art and science was significant for the advancement of painting techniques. He was famous for being a great painter long before his scientific work was acknowledged and appreciated. So the basis of his genius lies in his artistic achievements. The contradiction is that he designed weapons of war and, at the same time, marveled at the beauty of nature that these devices could ultimately destroy. Some historical characters stride like giants through the pages of history, think of Newton, Einstein, and Aristotle, Leonardo is certainly cast in the same mold. If art is about an emotional response then Leonardo da Vinci delivers at the highest level. I have been privileged to see a number of Leonardos paintings in the flesh; at the Louvre in Paris and also at the National Gallery in London. On 21st February 2009 I traveled to Manchester to view 10 of his drawings from the Royal Windsor collection. Needless to say these small works oozed quality. In a society were fame is fleeting and celebrity is often acquired very cheaply, it is refreshing that an artist, who died 500 years ago, can cause a queue to form, waiting in line to view his work. Famous works: Mona Lisa, the last supper, St. John the Baptist, and The Baptism of Christ are the most famous paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci. Especially Mona Lisa. Annunciation, Ginevra de’ Benci, Benois Madonna, Madonna of the Carnation, St. Jerome in the Wilderness, Adoration of the Magi, Virgin of the rocks, Lady with an Ermine, Madonna Litta, Portrait of a Musician, La belle ferronniere, the virgin and child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist, Madonna of the yarn winder, The virgin and child with St. Anne, and Bacchus are less famous paintings of Da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci not only painted great paintings, but he have invented many of the transportation/vehicles and other things we use in today’s life. For flight, there are glider, helicopter, and parachute, for military; there are automobile car, machine gun, scaling gun, and tank. Viola organista and double hull are the most famous between people. Viola organista is an experimental musical instrument Da Vinci invented. It was the first bowed keyboard instrument ever to be devised and Double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two layers of watertight hull surface. And the space between the two hulls is sometimes used for storage of fuel or ballast water. Old age Court records of 1476 show that Leonardo and three other young men were charged with sodomy, and acquitted. From that date until 1478 there is no record of his work or even of his whereabouts, although it is assumed that Leonardo had his own workshop in Florence between 1476 and 1481. From September 1513 to 1516, Leonardo spent much of his time living in the Belvedere in the Vatican in Rome, where Raphael and Michelangelo were both active at the time. In October 1515, Francois I of France recaptured Milan. On 19th December, Leonardo was present at the meeting of Francois I and Pope Leo X, which took place in Bologna. It was for Francois that Leonardo was commissioned to make a mechanical lion which could walk forward, then open its chest to reveal a cluster of lilies. In 1516, he entered Francois service, being given the use of the manor house Clos Luce near the kings residence at the royal Chateau Amboise. It was here that he spent the last three years of his life, accompanied by his friend and apprentice, Count Francesco Melzi, supported by a pension totaling 10,000 scudi. Leonardo died at Clos Luce, France, on May 2, 1519. Francois I had become a close friend. Vasari records that the King held Leonardos head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, Menageot and other French artists, may be legend rather than fact. Vasari also tells us that in his last days, Leonardo sent for a priest to make his confession and to receive the Holy Sacrament. In accordance to his will, sixty beggars followed his casket. He was buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the castle of Amboise. Melzi was the principal heir and executor, receiving as well as money, Leonardos paintings, tools, library and personal effects. Leonardo also remembered his other long-time pupil and companion, Salai and his servant Battista di Vilussis, who each received half of Leonardos vineyards, his brothers who received land, and his serving woman who received a black cloak of good stuff with a fur edge. Some twenty years after Leonardos death, Francois was reported by the goldsmith and sculptor Benevento Cellini as saying: There had never been another man born in the world who knew as much as Leonardo, not so much about painting, sculpture and architecture, as that he was a very great philosopher. A painter, a sculptor, an architect and an engineer, Leonardo Da Vincis numerous skills have earned him the title of renaissance master. Da Vincis fascination with science and his in-depth study of human anatomy aided him in mastering the realist art form. While Leonardos counterparts were known to create static figures in their works, Leonardo always tried to incorporate movement and expression into his own paintings. All the personages in his works are painted with great accuracy and detail that it is sometimes said that Da Vinci painted from the bones outward. Having lived until the age of 67, Leonardo experienced a very long career that was filled with times during which the painter was celebrated, but at times he was also humiliated and cast away. His life experiences all influenced his works and often, his paintings never left the sketchpad, or were only partially completed, as Leonardo often abandoned his commissions in order to flee from social situations. Leonardo was home schooled, his father taught him only simple things. Leonardo used math in some of his artwork. He used the Golden ratio in his paintings, Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, His Self Portrait and Madonna of the Rocks. He studied mathematics, geometry and polymath. Leonardo Da Vinci lived and took math lessons from Luca Pacioli. Luca Pacioli was making a book, and Leonardo Da Vinci was illustrating for him. Many other scientists ignored Leonardo Da Vinci because he did not know Latin or algebra. Leonardo studied, hydraulics, pyrotechnics, science, acoustics, optics, medicine, biology, anatomy, natural history, zoology, cartography, philosophy and botany. Leonardo Da Vinci was so fascinated by human anatomy, that he would sneak into hospitals at night, and dissect human bodies. He only studied anatomy for 20 years, and then moved on. Leonardo Da Vinci free essay sample The theories about Mona Lisa run from the most theoretical and nonscientific to the most scholarly and technical. The measurements of the portrait are thirty inches by twenty inches. The painting is in a humidified concrete box, protected by a triple bulletproof glass in the museum of Louvre in Paris. It is estimated that over six million tourists a year see her in Louvre. It would surprise many people to know that the Mona Lisa was once regarded as nothing special (Clark, 1999, up 210-220). As mentioned before many theories on the identity of the woman in the painting and why Leonardo painted her vary.Some researchers go as far as to claim that the living model never existed, but that Leonardo painted an deal woman or his self-portrait in the body of a woman. However, the majority of the art historians agree that the Vicars story is one of the most credible and the exact account of the Mona Aliass identity. We will write a custom essay sample on Leonardo Da Vinci or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to Vassar, the portrait shows Lisa Grenadine, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant called Francesco del Giaconda. That surname accounts for the paintings Italian title, La Giaconda, which by coincidence also means smiling woman. The picture is thought to have been commissioned by Aliass husband around 1503. Leonardo did not finish it, and he took it to France tit him when he was invited to join the court of King l. After Leonardo death, the picture belonged to the royal art collection. Somehow for a period of time, it was hanging in king Francis bathroom at Fontainebleau by the turn of the 1 7th century, and it does not seem to have been particularly treasured. Exposure to the steam seems to be responsible for the cracks in the portrait and for disconsolation of the blue color in the sky area.After the French Revolution, Napoleon hanged her in his bedroom. In 1797, when the Royal Palace of the Louvre had been turned into a citizens museum he Mona Lisa was finally included in the core collection. But it was not until the technetium that it began to attract major attention (Clark, 1 999, up 210-220). Leonardo was in his fifties when he began the Mona Lisa. He worked on it for four years, but not exclusively. He painted her on poplar wood. This was the wood of choice of the artists at the time. Also, it is suggested that Mona Lisa sat for only the head of the portrait; the body and hands were drawn using other models. It was more likely that what Leonardo was trying to achieve what was his view of the most beautiful, irresistible and alluring Oman that he could conceive. He was successful in his attempt and he must have known that. This may have been one of the reasons why he refused to not separate himself with the painting keeping it with him for thirteen years until his death. The portrait features Lisa with soft gentle hands. Her position of the hands resting over the upper abdominal part of the body suggests that she was pregnant at the time. Another factor to suggest this is that her hands are a little bit swollen.Her dress is painted in dark colors and its plain and Leonardo gave the dress she is wearing a look of fine cloth. She is married, UT Leonardo decided not to show her wedding ring. Also her loose hair would have been seen as loose morals at the time when she was painted ( Clark 1999, up 210-230). The style of Mona Lisa painting was very different from other portraits made until that time. First, she Was painted sitting down and not as a bust or drawn in profile like Italian painters did. Second, the portrait was larger and included more of the posers body. Also, Dad Vinci paints a relaxed and three quarter pose of the figure.This new posing angle consist of a body and face not following in the same direction. This kind of innovation was revolutionary t the time. Traditionally, renaissance portrait paintings up to that time consisted mainly of dull profile faces. This invention of Dad Vines was such an achievement at the time that it influenced the development of a completely new way of portrait drawing which was followed by many artists. One of the most intriguing features of Mona Lisa is her smile. This smile was done by a combination by Dad Vines optical effects and his style of suffuse.Suffuse usually translated as dark smoke, is painting technique using thin layers of color that are superimposed and intermixed in order to create effects of perspective, depth and volume. This is considered a Leonardo invention and was one of his most used and successful styles of painting. (Adams 2001 310). The other part of the special effects is that the smile is sight- lobed. This means that if the half left side of the face is covered it seems that she appears to be serious, while if the half right side of the face is covered than it seem like she is smiling. Also her eyes are not in the same rhythm with her smiling mouth.For example, if her mouth is covered and we see only her eyes, than it does not appear that she is smiling. These are Leonardo optical effects. Of course, Leonardo did not do anything by mistake and this must have been intentional, but the reason why still remains unknown (Philippic 1 999, up 519-520). What inspired the Mona Aliass smile and that Of Dad Vines other women was a source of fascination for Freud. Providing an in-depth psychological study of the artist in his study Leonardo dad Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood, Freud analyses Dad Vines early life in order to understand the enigmatic smiling style of Mona Lisa.Freud explains the Mona Lisa smile in the light of Leonardo mother-child relationship. Freud attributes the smile o a combination of the child living on in the adult, and to the artists taking the childs memory forward to a creation in a work of art (Gay 1 989, p. 220). Freud believes that Leonardo found something in the smile that captivated him. He wrote; The conclusion seems hardly to be avoided that he found this smile in his model and fell so strongly under its spell that from then on the bestowed it on the free creations of his fantasy (Gay 1 989, p. 460).Freud asserts the Giaconda-like smile is repeated on the faces of SST. Anne and Mary, who are looking down on the Christ-child playing with a lamb in a happy cane. Freud supports his arguments with the fact that Dad Vinci began his artistic career by portraying two different objects, children and laughing women. Thus, it can be hypothesized that from the beginning dad Vinci was searching for something. His ability to achieve the Mona Lisa smile was a rediscovery of that something he thought was lost at the age of five when he Went to live with this father- his mother (Gay 1989, up. 70-480). If it is true, this finding must have been a revelation of incredible magnitude for Dad Vinci and it would explain why it took him a long time to complete it and why he ever sold the painting. The other factor that adds up to the paintings mystery is its strange landscape. The landscape includes a bridge that crosses a dry riverbed and a winding road that passes into reddish brown rocks. Just above this are two lakes and a range of jagged mountains whose points go from olive green to light blue and blend with the bright light in the horizon.The right half side of the landscape is inconsistent with the left side . The scene lacks any plant or animals and is probably a composite from Leonardo mind rather than a specific location. Leonardo seems to have anted to create something, much like God created the world. This landscape is typical of Leonardo . He repeats this type of landscaping in other paintings such as Virgin of the Rocks and the Madonna (Smith 1 999, p 230). Mona siss landscape, even though it has the bridge and road, makes the observer aware of the creation of the rivers and mountains before man touched them.The mystery of the origin of man and his world seems to be underlying in the painting, bringing the lady and the landscape together. The background of rivers and peaks adds a life of its own to the painting. Leonardo was one of he first painters to use this landscape technique as a background for a portrait (Smith 1999, p 230). This combination of Dad Vines artistic genius and innovations distinguished the Mona Lisa style of painting from others. However, La Giaconda may not have always looked the way it looks today.According to the French art expert Pascal Cote, La Giaconda had eyebrows and the dull sky behind Mona Lisa was actually a brighter blue. Cote was granted special access to the painting in 2009 by Louvre, in which using a special camera, he was able to see past the top paint surface and examine the layers below. Cote said Dad Vinci built up the painting in layers, the last being a special glaze. He found that the underlying layers of the face are painted using lead white and mercury vermilion. Leonardo had then painted details such as the eyebrows on top of the glaze. That could explain why the eyebrows have disappeared. They have faded because of chemical reactions or they have been cleaned off, Cote told the British, Telegraph newspaper. The other finding that Cote made was that a finger on her left hand had been moved by Dad Vinci to create a more relaxed feeling. He said that for Leonardo he Mona Lisa was more than a painting, it was a challenge to reproduce real life ( http://www. Telegraph. Co. UK). The Mona Lisa may be the simplest painting that Leonardo ever painted, but it is clearly his most effective. In the end, a person sees her in a personal way with the explanations due only to himself. During the centuries, many questions and theories have been raised about the Mona Lisa painting. Question such as; is she smiling or not? Who is she smiling with? Why is she smiling? I think that these theories and questions have risen because Mona Lisa has such a larger than life petition, So people sometimes forget that she Was a real woman, which her image was caught in a wonderful work of art, and maybe that was all that Leonardo indented to give us, just a simple and wonderful work of art for us to enjoy.