Leonardo Davinci Art History

Leonardo did not attain his fame with ease, in fact, Leonardo was a bastard child who built an extraordinary legend by creating timeless masterpieces. In 1453, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire was going through a blast of sieges, eventually, it fell to the invading Turks. The Empire collapsed, and it seemed that along with the empire would also collapse the civilization.
In this time period, new ideas were coming forth. Civilization was about to go through a rebirth as an old city died and old ideas were dying as well. Newer ideas found refuge in the west, in the city-states of Italy, where God had been the center of study for hundreds of years. Ever-increasing was humanism, the study of man. It was a revolution that allowed new explorations into science, and transferred mans focus to man, igniting a new age that we know today as the Renaissance. New ideas, inventions, and discoveries were the prime of this era.

Leonardo grew up in the countryside of Florence, Italy, where he spent much of his time dabbling in nature. He was the bastard child who was born into the disadvantages of a second class citizenship, his prospects seemed very bleak. Being an illegitimate child would disqualify him from inheriting any of his family estate, which went to the legitimate members of the family. His family also refused to pay for any of his formal education as a result. He could not even take on the family name, his last name “Leonardo Da Vinci” literally means “Leonardo From Vinci”. In the consequence of being born into a position as a second class citizen, Leonardo gained motivation to push through his adversities and move towards greatness.

In his teens, Leonardo Da Vinci moved with his father to the mainland Florence area, in a time and place where life was cheap. People were executed daily, and the value of life was taken very lightly. Leonardo knew that the only way to rise and break free of his bastard status would be to join a guild, which so... [continues]

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