Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance Man
An ideal of the Renaissance was a person who could do
all things well, from painting a picture to designing a
cannon. The person who came closest to reaching this
ideal of the multi-talented “Renaissance man” was the
Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci had the traits of genius. He became
bored easily and often left work unfinished. He hated
deadlines and schedules. He was a perfectionist who was
never satisfied. Yet Leonardo triumphed over his faults
and left the world masterpieces of his art. His notebooks
offer a glimpse into the mind of a scientist centuries
ahead of his time. Leonardo’s life and work show extraordinary range of human
creativity. He was the spirit of the Renaissance in a single person.
Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, near the Italian village of Vinci. As a child, he
had an intense curiosity about nature and loved to explore the nearby fields and
woods. He hungered for knowledge. His father sent him to school, but Leonardo did
not want to learn from just books. He wanted to see the world with his own eyes,
and he expressed what he saw through art.
When Leonardo was about 15, his father took him to Florence. At the time, artists
packed the city, where they were supported by wealthy men who were patrons of
the arts. In this way, artists were free to express themselves – and earn a living
through painting, sculpting and other arts. In Florence, Leonardo became an
apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio. Verrocchio was a sculptor who also painted.
Immediately, Leonardo outshone his fellow students. He even proved himself more
talented than his master. Awed by one of Leonardo’s angels, Verrocchio was said to
have never lifted a paintbrush again.
During Leonardo’s youth, the Renaissance spirit was reaching
its height in Italy. Leonardo felt free to apply himself to
almost anything. He also wanted to try everything. He
discovered that he was not just an artist. He was also a
scientist. He believed that science and art should work
together to create a realistic picture of the world. Leonardo
also began to draw plans for new mechanical devices. He was
becoming an engineer as well.
He set up his own workshop in 1477. After a few years, he became bored with his
work and wanted to try something new. In a long letter to the Duke of Milan,
Leonardo bragged about his ability to invent weapons. Although he hated war, he
knew cities of his time needed defenses against invaders. He had already created
plans for weapons including explosive shells, a steam-powered cannon and even
tanks.
In 1482, he was accepted into the duke’s
court as an engineer, but also worked as a
painter. In the dining hall of a monastery in
Milan, he painted one of his masterpieces,
The Last Supper. He designed massive guns
and fortresses as well as city canals. He
devised a new method for casting bronze,
which is still I use today. As usual, Leonardo
left dozens of projects unfinished, but even
those reveal flashes of brilliance.
During his time in Milan, Leonardo began to keep detailed
notebooks filled with drawings and text. They show his
interest and great insights on a variety of subjects, one of
which was flight. He had been
observing patterns of air currents and
how birds fly. These studies led to
designs for flying machines, including helicopters and
gliders. Nearly 450 years would pass before inventors
designed and successfully tested similar flying machines.
After the Duke of Milan fell from power in 1499, Leonardo
traveled around Italy, taking jobs to paint pictures. One of his
assignments was a portrait of a woman with a mysterious smile.
Some say she was Lisa, the wife of a merchant. This painting is
known today as Mona Lisa. It shows his ability to use the
human face to reveal a person’s character.
Da Vinci marveled at the way the human body worked. To learn
more about anatomy, he dissected corpses. His drawings show
the appearance and functions of organs and systems. They are
considered the first accurate pictures of human anatomy.
In his later years, Leonardo’s engineering skills were still in
demand. For a time, he traveled with the captain of the papal
army, Cesare Borgia, as a military designer. Leonardo was also
commissioned to design a bridge that would span the great harbor
of Constantinople. Modern architects have analyzed his design and
say that, if the bridge had been built, it would have supported even today’s traffic.
Leonard Da Vinci’s last patron was Francis I, king of France. The king viewed him as
the wisest of men. He gave Leonardo a cottage to work in and let him do as he
pleased. By this time, Leonardo was suffering with paralysis in his right hand, but
he continued to paint and teach. When the artist-inventor died in 1519, he was
already being spoken of as the “Divine Leonardo”.
Leonardo da
Vinci