Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, engineer, scientist, anatomist, geologist, mapmaker, botanist and writer. Leonardo has been described as a Renaissance Man, a person who is brilliant at many different things, a characteristic of a number of great figures of the Italian Renaissance especially, including Leonardo's great rival Michelangelo. Leonardo's early life was spent in Florence, before he went to work in Milan. He later worked in Florence and Rome, before ending his days in France. Widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time, only about 15 of his paintings survive today—both because he was a slow worker, but also as a result of failed experiments with different techniques.

Early life

Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15th April 1452 in the small hill town of Vinci in Tuscany, Italy. His parents were not married, as his father was a wealthy lawyer and his mother a peasant girl. His birth name, Lionardo di ser Piero, means that he was the son of (mes)ser Piero, the "ser" indicating that his father was a gentleman.

​​​​​​​Aged 14, Leonardo became an apprentice to the artist and sculptor Verrocchio. In his workshop Leonardo learned to paint as well as acquiring many technical skills. In 1478 he left Verrocchio’s studio and was given a job to paint an altarpiece, although the work was left unfinished.

Career

From 1482 until 1499 Leonardo worked in Milan for Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. During this period he produced some of his most important paintings. From 1502 his employer was Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI, who appointed him chief military engineer. Leonardo produced military maps and advised on new fortifications. For the next 10 years he moved between Florence and Milan before going to Rome in 1513 to work for Pope Leo X. In 1516 Leo introduced him to King Francis I of France, for whom he worked for the rest of his life. Leonardo died in France on 2nd May 1519.

Paintings

Only around 15 of Leonardo’s paintings survive today. Leonardo was a very slow worker and deliberated for some time before starting each painting. He also experimented with new techniques, some of which were unsuccessful—meaning that many of his paintings have not survived to the present day. Of those that have, The Last Supper and Mona Lisa are probably the most famous.

​​​​​​​Other important paintings include The Adoration of the Magi (unfinished, 1481), Lady with an Ermine (1491), The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (1503) and two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, the first of which was completed by 1486, the second in 1508.

Mona Lisa

Between 1503 and 1506, Leonardo painted a half-length portrait of a woman that has become one of the most famous paintings in the world. The painting is thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy silk merchant of Florence. It may have been commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of her second son. The painting is popularly known as the Mona Lisa, mona being the polite Italian word for “my lady” or "madam". Its Italian name is La Gioconda, ”the laughing one". The portrait shows Lisa sitting with her right hand over her left in front of an imaginary landscape.

​​​​​​​Leonardo's capture of her expression—often described as an "enigmatic smile"—is a perfect example of his genius as a painter. The Mona Lisa hangs today in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. 

Notebooks

Throughout his life, Leonardo made around 13,000 pages of notes and drawings of the world around him. His notes were mostly written in reverse, so that they have to be reflected in a mirror to read them easily. Being left-handed made it easier for him to write from right to left, although he may have done this simply for his own satisfaction. Among Leonardo's many observations are detailed anatomical drawings of human and animal bodies, studies of plants and rock formations, and sketches of possible paintings.

Leonardo also drew a number of possible inventions, including plans for a hang glider, helicopter, tank, hydraulic pump, calculator, solar power, new musical instruments and a steam-powered cannon. Few of these ideas were constructed during his lifetime but some have later proved to be practical.