Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was more than just one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance. He was a scientific Genius, who studied a vast array of subjects, such as architecture, civil engineering, astronomy, and anatomy (Just to name a few). He discovered many scientific breakthroughs that are the foundation to today's discoveries, such as the rock cycle, and how the heart works.

But you can also say that Da Vinci was a man of contradictions; He despised war, yet he worked as a military engineer that developed weapons. He made numerous scientific discoveries but never published his ideas (his manuscripts were later found, but were difficult to read, for he wrote right to left in a shorthand that he invented himself.), and he is known as one of the masterly painters of his time, though he only has a handful of paintings to show for it.

During his early years in Florence, Italy, he worked as an apprentice for the artist Verrocchio. During his years of training, he learned the crafts of making canvases and brushes, mixing paints, carving stone and wood, and casting objects of gold and silver. He observed the machinery around him, examining and isolating each and every individual part, and analyzed how they worked, drew them in diagrams, and modified them, leading to new inventions. His drawing skills allowed him to draw out his ideas and findings with great accuracy.

In 1482, the ruler of Florence sent Leonardo to Milan bearing gifts for the ruler Sforza. He wrote a letter to Sforza, stating that he can build and invent things that would benefit him during their state of war with Pisa, and build things that would protect his troops. Sforza was impressed with Leonardo's abilities, that he offered him a position as a painter in the court. There he established his own studio, where he designed costumes for plays, bridges, forts, and weapons. Milan was later invaded by the French, and Sforza later fled. In 1516, he worked under the patronage of Prince Giuliano the Magnificent in Rome. Here he studied anatomy by cutting up animals from butcher shops, and optics. He also completed one of his most famous paintings, La Giocanda, also known as The Mona Lisa.


(http://leonardodavincifacts.net/)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci)