Leonardo Da Vinci's Accomplishments

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Leonardo da Vinci has been named one of the key figures of the Renaissance, a fascinating cultural movement which began in Italy in the 1300’s. Da Vinci created many works of art during his lifetime, most notably the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. “Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci” was born on April 15, 1452 in the hill town of Vinci, a territory of Florence, Italy. Little is known about Leonardo’s early life but when he was a teenager he recorded two childhood incidents. One incident, which he regarded as an omen, was when a kite fell from the sky and hovered over his cradle. The second recorded incident took place when he was exploring a cave in the mountains; he was both terrified by what kind of “monster” might have been lurking there yet driven by curiosity to find out what was inside. Young Leonardo received almost no formal education beyond basic reading, writing, and mathematic skills. Yet, in his late teenage years he began to formulate many philosophies and new ideas for futuristic inventions. As he grew older Leonardo began to study anatomy, astronomy, botany, geology, geometry and optics. Because he excelled in such a wide variety of studies he is often considered a universal genius. …show more content…
One of da Vinci’s most recognized paintings, the Mona Lisa, was completed not long before he died in 1519. This portrait is believed to be the young wife of a rich Florentine silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. Another one of Leonardo’s well known paintings is the Last Supper. When painting this, he rejected the fresco technique which was normally used for wall paintings. He developed a new technique that involved coating the wall with a compound he had created. Soon after Leonardo completed the picture the paint began to flake away. Many artists have tried to restore it, but it still remains in poor