Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is arguably the most well-known artist of all time and the most well-known artist of the Renaissance. Da Vinci, who is regarded as the epitome of the humanist principles of the Renaissance, was extraordinarily innovative in all fields of art and revolutionized subject study. Da Vinci was a master of several different artistic mediums, but he is best known for his paintings. Only a few of his works have survived the years, including the classic The Last Supper (1492 - 1498) and the Mona Lisa (1503 - 1506).

Despite having received very little formal schooling, da Vinci's extraordinary artistic genius led to him being regarded as one of the most accomplished painters of all time.

He was regarded as the origin of the term "Renaissance man," as his talents and hobbies included drawing, sculpture, mathematics, engineering, and inventions, among other things. Da Vinci began an apprenticeship at the age of 12 and learned metals and sculpture, which helped him develop his unique ability to depict human expressions from a young age.

Da Vinci went on to establish his own techniques of perspective, chiaroscuro, naturalism, and emotional expressionism in his artworks, allowing him to convey the complexities and depths of mankind. Da Vinci's precise aesthetic considerably surpassed that of many artists who came before him, as he continued to introduce new methods of painting that helped to distinguish his artworks as extraordinary.

Da Vinci's level of genius in various domains contributed to his capacity to examine and grab nature, scientific phenomena, and human emotions with precision and depth as an intellectual. His masterpieces all displayed his command of light and perspective, as well as the overall effect that these two elements had on one another.

His abilities were enormously influential on other Renaissance painters, but some of his paintings were so subtle and talented that few artists had any possibility of ever completely reproducing them.

Most of da Vinci's art, both then and now, has been immensely acclaimed but not fully understood by everyone. Da Vinci, considered one of the greatest minds in history and well ahead of his time, is credited with creating the initial sketches for immensely complex machinery such as the parachute and helicopter. Despite turning to more scientific activities before his death, da Vinci has been known mostly as a painter over the last five centuries.

Lifespan: 1452 – 1519

Nationality: Italian

Art Movements: High Renaissance

Most Famous Artworks

• The Vitruvian Man (c. 1490)
• The Last Supper (c. 1492 – 1498)
• Mona Lisa (1503 – 1506)