Leonardo da Vinci, a man who possessed extraordinary wisdom, has revolutionized ideas in both art and science. Among the many branches of science and art Leonardo da Vinci studied, his work in painting, geology, engineering, and anatomy are some of da Vinci's most famous work. Even today da Vinci's work is still looked upon as a great accomplishment.
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in Tuscan of Vinci which is close to Florence. He was born illegitimately to Caterina, a peasant woman, and Piero da Vinci who was a fairly well-known gentleman. Da Vinci studied under Florentine artist, Andrea del Verrocchio, for about ten years. It was rumored da Vinci was such a masterful painter that it caused Verrocchio to quit painting completely. The time between 1500 and 1525 was known as the "High Renaissance" and Leonardo da Vinci was known as the "Renaissance Man" because of his admirable talents. He was an unmarried man and had few connections during his lifetime. He possessed a great passion for art throughout his lifetime.
The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci were one of his most famous aspects. Some of his first paintings included The Benois Madonna, The Adoration of Magi, Ginevra de Benci, and St. Jerome. The Adoration of Magi and St. Jerome in the Wilderness were both painted in the 1480s and were both unfinished. In the painting St. Jerome, a man named St. Jerome is featured in the center. His arm is outstretched and he is staring in the opposite direction. St. Jerome is also featured against a unique background of uneven rocks. Adoration of the Magi was also featured against a similar, peculiar, rock background. Virgin of the Rocks was another important painting which was assisted with by the de Predis brothers. Da Vinci's most famous paintings may be the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci kept a notebook of his writings called Treatise on Painting which was published after he passed away.
Geology strongly interested Leonardo da Vinci. He studied rocks when he served as an artist and engineer under Ludovico Sforza. Da Vinci has an impressive knowledge of the rocks in northern Italy. He apprehended the concept that rocks are formed by the deposition of sediment by water. He also understood that rivers erode the rocks and then carry them out into the ocean. Da Vinci also recognizes the law of superposition which states that newly formed rocks are located closer to the surface. This idea was not founded until 1669 by Nicolaus Steno, a Dutch scientist. Around the 1500s there were many theories about how fossils appeared in the mountains. One of the theories was that the Great Flood caused this occurrence. Da Vinci disregarded this theory because he believed fossils would be carried outward from the land opposed to inward toward land. Da Vinci actually believed many natural floods buried fossils and then pieces of land holding the fossils rose up to create mountains.
Among many things, Leonardo da Vinci was an avid inventor. Da Vinci went to Venice in 1499 and became an engineer. In Venice he worked on creating barricades to guard the city. Da Vince also had ideas about diverting the waters of the Arno River. Musical instruments, reversible crank mechanisms, hydraulic pumps, finned mortar shells, and a steam cannon are some of da Vinci's famous inventions. One of his most famous ideas came in 1502 when he created a design for a 720 foot, single span bridge. This design was a part of a civil engineering project. This project was for Ottoman Sultan Beyezid II of Istanbul. The bridge was meant to span the Inlet at the mouth of the Bosporus. Construction did not occur because Beyezid was unsure of the design's stability. This design was actually tested and was proven successful on May 17, 2006 by the Turkish government. Flight also interested da Vinci; he studied birds and created his Codex on the Flight of Birds in 1505. He also had ideas to construct a hang glider and a device similar to a helicopter.
Leonardo da Vinci was also very knowledgeable of anatomy and has designed many accurate models. A notebook of da Vinci's was found from 1489 that contained drawings of the eye, brain, and optic nerves. The eye strongly interested him because the eye perceives an object differently than its actual size. It was not until about 1508 that da Vinci began to concentrate on anatomy again. He dissected about thirty human corpses to discover how the human body functioned. He described the heart as a… "marvelous instrument invented by the Supreme Master." (Leonardo da Vinci on anatomy, lairweb.org) His skill of sculpting helped him create realistic models of various body parts. He used his sculpting skills to fill cavities of the heart and brain with wax. Da Vinci was actually one of the first men to correctly show the shape of the spine and the tilt of the pelvis. The biceps intrigued da Vinci because he found they not only bend the arm but also assist in turning the palm upwards. One of his famous drawings was of an unborn baby in a womb. Da Vinci studied the hearts of pigs and in doing this, learned the beat of the heart and the flow of blood through major arteries moved together. A model of heart constructed of glass was also made by da Vinci. The Vitruvian Man may be one of his most renowned drawings. It shows the proportions of a man can fit evenly into a square of a circle.
Leonardo da Vinci kept notes of many subjects including astronomy, anatomy, zoology, geography, geology, and paleontology. He had written over 4,000 manuscripts and planned to make an encyclopedia. Most of his work was left incomplete though. His writings were perplexing in the way he chose to write it. He wrote right to left, used strange symbols, and he also wrote out of order. Da Vinci's work went to libraries all over Europe. His Treatise on Painting was published in 1651. Much of Leonardo's work was not discovered until the nineteenth century; these created major breakthroughs when they were discovered. Leonardo da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 in Amboise as a court painter for King Francis I.
Leonardo da Vinci's work in many categories is still looked on as a great accomplishment today. From his paintings to his manuscripts, he presented many great ideas. The inventions of da Vinci still amaze people today. All of his work has sparked many ideas throughout history. Leonardo da Vinci was truly a man ahead of his time.
