Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was the true definition of a renaissance man, his love for knowledge, art and science defined his as a revolutionary thinker who is responsible for some of the inventions that we enjoy today. Da Vinci, is a man that seemed to have been good at everything he did, not only was he a masterful painter, but he also was inolved in numerous things throughout his lifetime.

Da Vinci started out as a painter in the city of Florence, a son born out of wedlock to a poor peasant women.  Which turned out to be beneficial for him, if he had been a ligitimate child he would have gone through with the occupation of his father and never become the artist he did.He spent most of his early years being educated under the painter Verrocchio. At the age of 20 he was given the title as a master in the guild of st. Luke. He was one of the first Italian painters to use oil paints instead of egg tempura.

Although they were both in the same profession, Michalangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were not close friends as one would expect.They were very bitter rivals. So much so that they often would insult each other in public.

Da Vinci is believed to have been an extreme perfectionist, so much so  that the lips on his most famous painting, the mona lisa, took him approximately 10 years to complete. It is also said that he destroyed many of his works before they could be viewed by anyone else.

But Leonardo's interested spread far beyond just that of painting and art. He was also very interested in science and machinery. In fact Leonardo Da Vinci is responsible for designing  many things including:

1. The first Machine Gun
2. The Parachute
3. Several engineering projects such as bridges and canals.
4. Gliders
5. Other flying machines
6.  cannon 
7. Armored vehicles 

 "When 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

For most of his life Da Vinci was obsessed with birds and the idea of flight, that is probably why many of his sketches involve the idea of man being able to fly. Because paper was so expensive during his lifetime Da Vinci was very careful with how he used his paper and made sure not to waste any by ensuring that all possible space was used before moving on to the next piece. In all of his notebooks Da Vinci used what is called mirror writing, this is believed to have been an attempt to keep his notes secret.

Da Vinci was also very interested in the study of human anatomy and is believed to have dug out several graves in order to further his studies and knowledge of our inner workings. He also studied many animal remains. From this he work he creates sketches like the Vitruvian man.

Some of the personal choices that Da Vinci made during his lifetime also make him distinct from his contemporaries. Da Vinci was a humanitarian and therefore chose to become a vegetarian . This may have in part because of his work studying how the body worked In addition to being a vegetarian da vinci also chose to never marry or have children. Some scholars believe this is because he was gay.

Although many of us don't realize it, Leonardo Da Vinci has had a very big impact on how we live today. His inventions, notes and artwork were revolutionary for the time, and continue to amaze us in the 21st Century.