Facts about Leonardo da Vinci

When you first read about the things Leonardo da Vinci has accomplished, you begin to look at your own self and wonder 'just what in the world have I been doing till now?' What can you do to be even half as successful as a man who is a painter, a sculptor, a mathematician, an inventor, a cartographer, a scientist, a musician, a philosopher, and above all, an influential and intellectual human being? Although the answer may never be found, you can start by reading more on one of the greatest minds of all time; the legend, that is Leonardo da Vinci.

CONTENTS

I] The Life of Leonardo da Vinci

II] Leonardo da Vinci, the Polymath

• Leonardo da Vinci - the Painter
• Leonardo da Vinci - the Anatomist
• Leonardo da Vinci - the Inventor
• Leonardo da Vinci - the Scientist

*Mouse-over the images for details. Click on the images for an enlarged view.

I] The Life of Leonardo da Vinci

Birth name: Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Date of Birth: 15th of April, 1452 at Vinci, Italy Demise: 2nd of May, 1519 at Amboise, France Nationality: Italian Parents: Leonardo was born to notary Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci and peasant woman Caterina. Since Leonardo was born out of the wedlock, he did not have a proper surname. His birth name 'Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci' literally translates as 'Leonardo, son of Piero of Vinci'.

Trivia: 1. Did you know that Leonardo never really attended school? He obtained some training in Geometry, Mathematics and Language, but that's it, nothing more. 2. Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci was a vegetarian? 3. He always wrote in mirror handwriting... perhaps to guard his ideas from intellectual thieves? 4. Leonardo never married or had a romantic relationship with anybody! It is in fact speculated that Leonardo da Vinci was gay. 5. Leonardo was left-handed. 6. It is said that Leonardo used to wear pink to make his complexion look fresh. 7. Leonardo did not do a self-portrait (seen alongside) until almost 1515!

II] Leonardo da Vinci, the Polymath

"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."
- Francis I, King of France

Leonardo da Vinci epitomizes the term 'polymath'. The term 'polymath' denotes a person of superhuman intellect, intelligence, and talent. Leonardo da Vinci is most widely known as a painter; however, he also made outstanding contributions to the fields of music, mathematics, biology, geometry, anatomy, cartography, botany, engineering, writing, and of course, philosophy. If the Italian Renaissance had to choose a single mascot for its time, it would be Leonardo da Vinci. The man is very rightly called 'Renaissance Man'. Here are a few interesting facts about Leonardo da Vinci with respect to the different fields of his expertise.

~ Leonardo da Vinci - the Painter ~

1. Andrea del Verrochio tutored Leonardo in his early years. Andrea del Verrochio was himself a famous painter, at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici. Leonardo himself became a painter at Medici's court later. Leonardo then served Ludovico il Moro (Duke of Milan), before he finally entered the house and family of Francis I of France.
2. The Annunciation is Leonardo's first completed work, done in conjunction with Verrochio. It is an oil on canvas painting, depicting Angel Gabriele's announcement of Mary's pregnancy with Jesus.
3. Leonardo's first solo painting, completed in 1478, was Madonna and Child.
4. The Mona Lisa is arguably his most famous work. The subject of this portrait is still debated, the most popular current view being that it is of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo. One of the most unusual hypotheses is that it is a self-portrait of Leonardo as a woman.
5. Leonardo painted The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, under Ludovico il Moro's commission; a dramatic depiction of the moment Jesus announced that he would be betrayed. By 1500 the painting's deterioration had begun. Since 1726, many attempts have been made to restore it.

~ Leonardo da Vinci - the Anatomist ~

It was quite crucial for Verrochio that all his pupils become adept with the human anatomy, along with learning the art of painting under his apprenticeship. This is what laid a concrete foundation for Leonardo's interest in anatomy to grow.


1. Around the time Leonardo began apprenticeship with Verrochio, he began to study the human anatomy. This is one of the primary reasons why Leonardo's paintings seem so life-like. Right from his earliest works - such as Madonna of the Carnation - one of the most striking observations one can make is how proportionate the figures look.
2. Leonardo's command over depiction of the human anatomy in his paintings granted him the permission to dissect corpses at the Santa Maria Nuova hospital in Florence. Notes from his journals include detailed studies of the human skull, human foetus, internal organs of a woman, muscles, tendons, skeleton, vascular system, etc.
3. Along with the human anatomy, Leonardo also carried out comparative anatomy studies. He dissected many number of animals as well, including birds. One of his comparative anatomy studies compares the structure of a man's leg to that of a dog's leg.

~ Leonardo da Vinci - the Inventor ~

Leonardo approached science from a holistic, observational and artistic point of view, rather than theoretical and / or experimental. This allowed Leonardo's inventions to be particularly intricate, thoughtful and aesthetic, all at the same time.

1. Leonardo is most remarkably known for inventing various war-machines and flying machines. He is also revered for his work and research in hydraulics.
2. Did you know that Leonardo conceptualized and sketched the first parachute, first helicopter, first hang glider, first airplane, first tank, first repeating rifle, first swinging bridge, first paddle boat, the first motorcar, and also the first bicycle (more than 300 years before it hit the roads)? To add to this, these are only some out of Leonardo's exhaustive list of inventions.
3. It is said that Leonardo da Vinci was a man ahead of his time. How ahead? More than 500 years! As part of a civil engineering project, Leonardo drafted a sketch of a 220m single span bridge in the year 1502; however Ottoman Sultan Beyazid II of Constantinople (who the project belonged to) didn't think it would be feasible to build a bridge like that. In 2006, a bridge was constructed in Ås, Norway, based on Leonardo's 1502 sketch! The project is called Vebjørn Sand Da Vinci Project. The bridge serves as a pedestrian crossing over European route E18.

~ Leonardo da Vinci - the Scientist ~

With respect to the different fields that Leonardo has explored, one can say that his intellect and curiosity left almost no stone unturned. Here are some interesting facts about Leonardo's contributions to allied fields of science.

1. Leonardo approached botany with an aesthetic rather than scientific curiosity. He was known to draw single flower several times in his journals, each time from a different angle.
2. With respect to geology, Leonardo was one of the few people of his time to disagree with the general view that the Great Flood (mentioned in the Bible) was what must have deposited seashells on the mountains. Leonardo argued this couldn't be possible.
3. Cartography is the art and science of making maps. Leonardo made several maps of different regions, the one held to be most accurate being that of Imola, a commune in the Province of Bologna.
4. Leonardo's astronomical observations may have been held scandalous in his times, since he said that "The earth is not in the center of the Sun's orbit nor at the center of the Universe"!
5. Luca Pacioli taught Leonardo mathematics. Student and teacher duo later published a treatise titled "De divina proportione"


I am sure many of you will never ever complain, henceforth, that you do not have the time to do something. If a single man can achieve all the above (and so much more), you can most definitely at least try to achieve a few of all the things you want to in life... think about it!