Leonardo da Vinci

Author profile

born

Vinci, Italy

genre

Science, Arts & Photography, Professional & Technical

About this author

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance man, a man whose unquenchable curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived. According to art historian Helen Gardner, the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent and "his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote". Marco Rosci points out, however,...more Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance man, a man whose unquenchable curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived. According to art historian Helen Gardner, the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent and "his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote". Marco Rosci points out, however, that while there is much speculation about Leonardo, his vision of the world is essentially logical rather than mysterious, and that the empirical methods he employed were unusual for his time.

Born the illegitimate son of a notary, Piero da Vinci, and a peasant woman, Caterina, at Vinci in the region of Florence, Leonardo was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio. Much of his earlier working life was spent in the service of Ludovico il Moro in Milan. He later worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice and spent his last years in France, at the home awarded him by Francis I.

Leonardo was and is renowned primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time, with their fame approached only by Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. Leonardo's drawing of the Vitruvian Man is also regarded as a cultural icon, being reproduced on everything from the euro to text books to t-shirts. Perhaps fifteen of his paintings survive, the small number due to his constant, and frequently disastrous, experimentation with new techniques, and his chronic procrastination. Nevertheless, these few works, together with his notebooks, which contain drawings, scientific diagrams, and his thoughts on the nature of painting, compose a contribution to later generations of artists only rivalled by that of his contemporary, Michelangelo.

Leonardo is revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualised a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, the double hull and outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were even feasible during his lifetime, but some of his smaller inventions, such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire, entered the world of manufacturing unheralded. As a scientist, he made important discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics, but his failure to publish his findings meant that he had no influence on the development of these fields.(less)

combine editions
Books by Leonardo da Vinci

Average rating: 4.14 · 1,990 ratings · 60 reviews · 101 distinct works

	Leonardo's Notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci, H. Anna Suh (Editor) 4.15 avg rating — 1,677 ratings — published 1970 — 56 editions	My rating:
	The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Volume 1 4.27 avg rating — 44 ratings — published 1970 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Works 4.33 avg rating — 42 ratings	My rating:
	The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Volume 2 4.13 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 1970 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Leonardo Drawings: 60 Illustrations 4.17 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 1980	My rating:
	Through the Eyes of Leonardo da Vinci: Selected Drawings 4.16 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Notebooks of Leonardo DaVinci by Leonardo da Vinci, Jean Paul Richter 3.94 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2010	My rating:
	Leonardo on the Human Body by Leonardo da Vinci, Charles D. O'Malley (Translator), J. B. de C. M. Saunders (Translator) 4.69 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1983	My rating:
	Leonardo Da Vinci 4.33 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 1997	My rating:
	Thoughts on Art and Life 4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2009 — 6 editions	My rating:

More books by Leonardo da Vinci…

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Quotes by Leonardo da Vinci

“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

tags: art , inspirational

2,407 people liked it

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

tags: flight , flying , inspirational

2,325 people liked it

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

tags: art , poetry

2,322 people liked it

See all Leonardo da Vinci's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Bookish: W11 - Completed Tasks	302	86	Apr 30, 2011 11:56pm
Art Lovers: Book Read October 2011	88	77	Oct 03, 2011 08:04pm
Bookish: Art Garfunkel's Library List (05th July - 16th Aug)	426	83	Nov 22, 2011 07:02pm
Cozy Mysteries : Your Latest Cozy Splurge	764	686	May 27, 2012 06:23pm
The History Book ...: * PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF ~	4882	2108	16 hours, 29 min ago

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Leonardo to Goodreads.