Leonardo Da Vinci: The Quintessential Renaissance Man

Leonardo da Vinci was the quintessential Renaissance man, whose contributions to the world stretched far beyond his art and included some of the most forward thinking inventions in history. He was skilled in sculpture, architecture, science, history, mathematics, and is also considered one of the greats painters ever to live. His knowledge of these many different disciplines sums up the Renaissance humanist ideal that emphasized critical thought. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 and little is known about his early life until he was fourteen years old, when he was made the apprentice of Andrea di Cione, an artist who was known as Verrocchio. This was a prestigious position to be given as Verrocchios workshop was considered to be “one of the
One of his most famous works is The Last Supper, which was commissioned by the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie and shows the scene in the bible were Jesus shares a final meal with his disciples. He worked tirelessly and erratically on this piece, working for days on end before stopping and not picking up a brush for several days. Once he was finished with the painting it was considered one of the finest pieces made up to that point but unfortunately the years would not be kind to it and it deteriorated quickly, due to Leonardo choosing to use tempera instead of fresco. The other of his widely known works is the Mona Lisa, which in more modern times is considered the most famous painting on the planet. It shows a woman sitting with a faint smile on her face, which creates the allure of the painting. The painting has a mysterious quality to it because the subject of the painting shows a mix of emotions. It is hard to tell if she is happy or sad and much debate has been had about who the subject is and what her facial expressions portray. This painting featured a technique of Leonardos which gave a smoky quality to certain aspects of her face and this clouded what her face is truly portraying. The background of the painting is also very elaborate in that it seems to have all
Painters were inspired by his work and style and has been credited with introducing modern art to the world, "Such was the dawn of modern art, when Leonardo da Vinci broke forth with a splendor that distanced former excellence: made up of all the elements that constitute the essence of genius” (Fuseli). In the five centuries that have passed since Leonardos life the appreciation for his work has grown as his contributions to the modern world become more apparent, be it his scientific discoveries or his art. As Bortolon said, “Leonardo can be considered, quite rightly, to have been the universal genius par excellence, and with all the disquieting overtones inherent in that term. Man is as uncomfortable today, faced with a genius, as he was in the 16th century. Five centuries have passed, yet we still view Leonardo with awe” (Bortolon). Leonardo was a truly a modern man and a Renaissance man because he managed to influence so many and combine the many disciplines that he had passion for. He was a humanist and combined his love of science with art to create some of the most detailed anatomical drawings of his day. His “mind and personality seem to us superhuman, while the man himself mysterious and remote” (Gardner 454) and he truly was the quintessential Renaissance