ART AND SCIENCE
JULY 3, 2022
Leonardo Da Vinci : The Life Of A Genius
Learn about Leonardo Da Vinci, in the life of a genius artist that ever lived in human history and a polymath in many fields.
Widely recognized as one of the greatest polymaths (knowledgeable in various fields) in human history, Leonardo da Vinci was an inventor, artist, musician, architect, engineer, anatomist, botanist, geologist, historian, and cartographer.
US historian Helen Gardner said Da Vinci’s thoughts and personality made him considered a “superhuman”. “While he himself is classified as a mysterious figure and deliberately isolated himself,” said Gardner again.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Leonardo was born out of wedlock on April 15, 1452 in a town called Vinci, Italy. His father, Piero, was a wealthy notary, and his mother, Caterina, was a local peasant girl.
Leonardo did not have a surname according to modern understanding. Da Vinci itself simply means “from Vinci”. His full name at birth was Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, which means “Leonardo, (son) of ser Piero (from) Vinci.”
As a result of being an “illegitimate child”, Leonardo received a rather limited formal education which mainly covered business arithmetic. He never attended university and sometimes refers to himself as an “uneducated person.”
But his lack of formal schooling also freed him from the bonds of tradition, helping to instill in him a determination to question authority and rely more on his own experience than on the opinions expressed in books.
As a result, he became a direct observer and experimenter, and had no interest in being a mouthpiece for classical works.
In the 1460s, Leonardo’s family emigrated to Florence, when he was only 14 years old. There, he worked in an art studio belonging to Verrocchio, who was a famous painter and sculptor at the time.
There, Leonardo studied various disciplines, such as chemistry, metallurgy, iron processing, leather processing, mechanics, wood processing, to artistic abilities in drawing, painting, sculpting, and making models.
FAMOUS PAINTINGS
Leonardo is more famous as a painter. The Mona Lisa is his most famous work and is the most popular human portrait ever made. The Last Supper is the most frequently reproduced religious painting of all time, while the Vitruvian Man image is often regarded as a cultural icon.
The paintings attributed to Leonardo generally number less than 20, while the notebooks contain more than 7,000 pages. It is the best source of knowledge about Leonardo, which today is housed in locations such as Windsor Castle, the Louvre, and the National Library of Spain in Madrid.
In 1503, Da Vinci began work on a painting that would later become his famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
Reported by the Biography site, there are three women who are suspected of being the model. Namely Isabella of Aragon, wife of the Sixth Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza, a mysterious commercial sex worker, to Da Vinci’s own mother.
But according to Vasari’s biography, the Mona Lisa is an image of Lisa del Giocondo. The wife of a wealthy silk merchant from Florence. The original name of the Italian painting, La Gioconda, supports Vasari’s biography.
OTHER FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Da Vinci was not only an artist, he was also a scientist, mechanic, and inventor. In the sketch, there are drawings of the design of an airplane and an upward propulsion engine, there is also a sketch of ‘How to Fly a Bird’.
All of these findings are the result of observing how birds fly. The conclusion of this study, he found the relationship of the size of the wings with human body weight. Although not because of this theory humans can fly, but he gave some pointers on how to fly birds.
During the Renaissance time, which is called: the ‘Golden Age of Development’, Da Vinci also left many sketches of Architects. In the city plan, he included about the water tunnel, also the widening of the road, air flow and light in accordance with the city plan of today.
DA VINCI LAST DAYS
Da Vinci died in Clos Luce on May 2, 1519 at the age of 67, believed to be due to a stroke. At the last moment, Da Vinci was accompanied by Francis I who had become his best friend. Da Vinci then distributed all his wealth to the people who had followed him during his life.
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