Leonardo da Vinci was a great influence on his time and of the time of today. Leonardo was known as many things; he was known as a sculptor, architect, writer, musician, philosopher, engineer, and scientist, but most of all he was known for his impressive paintings that influenced the world (LaBarre).
Leonardo was born in Anchiano, Italy in April 1452, to Piero da Vinci, a prominent public official in Florence, and a peasant woman named Caterina. In 1469, by the age of 17, his father sent him to study in the workshop of a well-known Italian Renaissance master named Andrea del Verrocchio. He remained there until 1476 and Leonardo had picked up a variety of skills. He spent several years there practicing a variety of things, drafting engineering, architecture, and building, but most of all he studied painting and drawing (Creighton).
The education Leonardo received from Verrocchio was very practical.
tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic
English: Self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Red c...
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, Galleria dell'...For his first project, Leonardo was assigned to build a golden sphere and cross to sit on top of the domed cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori (LaBarre). It was a huge undertaking that required complicated mathematical calculations and casting techniques. The project taught Leonardo that scientific knowledge and art could work together. Although most people think of Leonardo da Vinci as an artist, he was also known for other things. Throughout his life, he has made an incredible headway in the area of science. He sketched out many amazing designs for working machines and technology, such as the airplane or glider. The amazing thing about this was that none of da Vinci's inventions or creations were even recognized or expanded upon until some 300 to 400 years later. He was also known as a man of science because of his drawings of the human body. In his free...