Leonardo Da Vinci

Born around 1452, Leonardo da Vinci's illegitimate birth as the son of a wealthy notary and a peasant mother initially presented societal challenges. As a teenager, he joined his father in Florence and was apprenticed as a studio boy to Andrea del Verrocchio, a leading Florentine artist, where he became familiar with painting and sculpture. By 1472, he had joined the painter's guild of Florence, becoming an independent master by age 26. Following a public charge of sodomy in 1476, he began a celebrated career moving between various eminent patrons. In 1482, he gained the attention of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, serving as a principal engineer and architect for military operations. After the Sforzas were driven out, Leonardo entered the service of Cesare Borgia in 1502 as his chief architect and engineer, overseeing fortresses in central Italy. His glorious years in the early 1500s saw the creation of masterpieces such as the "Mona Lisa." He later served King Louis XII of France and, from 1516 until his death in 1519, King Francis I in France. Leonardo's boundless curiosity led him to anticipate many modern discoveries and innovate in fields like geology, meteorology, and hydraulics. His "Notebooks" contain prototypes for inventions such as the airplane, submarine, helicopter, machine gun, and tank, alongside designs for sewers, palaces, bridges, and war engines. As a scientist, architect, musician, mathematician, teacher, and businessman, he left examples of his diverse talents. Though he often left works unfinished, his paintings, including "The Last Supper" and "The Adoration of the Magi," embodied beauty and grace. He also conducted anatomical dissections and made numerous scientific observations. His artistic legacy includes a relatively small number of completed paintings, yet they remain among the most iconic in art history.