Leonardo Da Vinci's Accomplishments

Leonardo da Vinci was a genius around 200 years ahead of his time. “[He] was born on April 15, 1452, on his father’s estate near Vinci, just outside of Florence. He grew up and was educated on the estate. When he was 15 he started working with the artist Andrea del Verrochio in Florence.” When he working with Verrochio he learned about painted, sculpting and mechanics. When he was young people already saw strokes of genius, mostly in his 2 unfinished paintings St Jerome & The Adoration of the Magi. He also had a number pen and pencil sketches that showed his artistic skills. (Brittanica School : 2015) Leonardo Da Vinci was a man of many things, but he was mainly observant, was inventive, artistic, a mathematician, and Leonardo Da Vinci was

In 1478 Leonardo Da Vinci established his own studio in Florence becoming one of the most popular artist of his time. “In 1481 he received a major commission (money to create a painting) The Adoration of the Magi, for an altarpiece”. The next year Leonardo accepted a job as a civil and military engineer for Milan and left his work, like so many other pieces, unfinished. The first completed painting that Da Vinci painted in Milan was Virgin of the Rocks, an altarpiece commissioned in 1483. The painting shows Leonardo’s way of presenting the traditional style of painting at that time in a new manner. “He shows the Holy Family in a cave, as was customary, but makes original use of dimmed light. He uses his understanding of natural laws to add vitality and life to a theme that had been done many times before.” Around this time Leonardo painted one of his most famous works the last supper. It was ordered to him in 1495 for the Santa Maria delle Grazie. Da Vinci didn’t paint in fresco, which was the normal method of painting on walls. Instead, he experimented with oil based paint. Unfortunately, the oil paint didn’t work out so well and peeled within 50 years. It was reconstructed later using Da Vinci’s detailed notes and sketches. “In all of his paintings, da Vinci combined human vitality with technical precision. He was able to use his knowledge of engineering and science to add drama, precision, and visual interest. Although several