__1452: __Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest multitalented artists in our history, is born in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci. Painter, sculptor, anatomist, architect, engineer, geologist: The labels don't even begin to describe him.
Da Vinci's influence is so diverse that few haven't heard of him or his work -- the paintings of Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, the drawing of Vitruvian Man, and the incredible sketches of machines imagined long before they would become possible.
An illegitimate child, da Vinci started an apprenticeship at age 15 in Florence with the renowned Italian painter, Andrea di Cione, aka Verrocchio. Da Vinci contributed to pieces produced by Verrocchio's workshop, including painting an angel in the masterpiece "Baptism of Christ." But by 1477, he left to strike it on his own.
For the next 17 years, da Vinci spent his time with the Duke of Milan, not just painting and sculpting but designing buildings and machinery. It was to be one of the most amazing periods of the amazingly prolific artist's life. Da Vinci's work covered four major categories: painting, architecture, mechanics and human anatomy.
In art, the Mona Lisa is his greatest triumph. Da Vinci worked on La Gioconda or La Joconde, as the painting is also known, for about four years before taking a break and then took another three years to finish it. The 31 x 21–inch painting is among the world's most recognizable piece of art.
Leonardo's other artworks have also inspired today's pop culture: Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code tries to interpret the symbolism in the Last Supper.
Da Vinci's artistic side existed alongside a sharp technical mind. Some of his most fascinating works are his drawings in engineering and anatomy. Da Vinci conceptualized and drew the idea for a flying machine that's similar to a modern helicopter. His sketches show the concept of a parachute and a lightweight hang glider.
His design notes even contain the idea for a robot -- a humanoid machine that could open and close its anatomically correct jaw and carry out motions such as sitting up and moving its arms and neck. Computer models by Florence's Institute and Museum of the History of Science show it was a technically feasible robot. The robot was seen to be the result of da Vinci's extensive knowledge of the human anatomy.
What's also fascinating is his design of weapons. Da Vinci sketched what we can recognize today as a tank or armored vehicle, a scythed chariot and a multibarreled gun. None of these weapons ever seem to have been made, but they certainly had the potential.
The manuscripts from his work are now valued in millions, with Bill Gates reportedly paying about $30 million in 1994 for the Codex Leicester -- a record on linen paper of da Vinci's thoughts spanning a wide range of topics.
Da Vinci died May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France.
Source: Various
Image: Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man
See Also:
- Leonardo da Vinci Masterpiece to Be Examined With Neutron Beams
- Digital Da Vinci Codes: Thousands of Leonardo's Papers Go Online
- The Real da Vinci Code
- April 15, 1726: Apple Doesn't Fall Far From Physicist
- April 15, 1912: 'God Himself Could Not Sink This Ship'
- March 9, 1454: This Man Is a Continent … or Two
