Leonardo Da Vinci's Life

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A painter, a sculptor, an architect and an engineer, Leonardo Da Vinci's numerous skills have earned him the title of renaissance master. Da Vinci's fascination with science and his in-depth study of human anatomy aided him in mastering the realist art form. While Leonardo's counterparts were known to create static figures in their works, Leonardo always tried to incorporate movement and expression into his own paintings. All the personages in his works are painted with great accuracy and detail that it is sometimes said that Da Vinci painted from the bones outward.
Having lived until the age of 67, Leonardo experienced a very long career that was filled with times during which the painter was celebrated, but at times he was also humiliated and cast away. His life experiences all influenced his works and often, his paintings never left the sketchpad, or were only partially completed, as Leonardo often abandoned his commissions in order to flee from social situations.
Today, there are records of only few Da Vinci paintings, and 20 notebooks. Thankfully, these works have been preserved over the hundreds of years since Leonardo's time, and while his works are scattered in different areas of the globe, everyone can enjoy Da Vinci through the numerous books detailing his life, or through any of the many Da Vinci posters that have been printed.
A well known master in the history of art, Leonard Da Vinci is renown by people all over the map, and those of us who cannot travel to view the true works that the genius created can at least bring home a piece of him when we buy Da Vinci posters or prints. His most famous paintings, and the most popular Da Vinci posters around, are those of The Last Supper (http://www.davincilife.com/lastsupper.html), The Mona Lisa (http://www.davincilife.com/monalisa.html) and Vitruvian Man: The Proportions of the Human Figure (http://www.davincilife.com/vitruvianman.html). These works, displayed in Milan and Paris respectively, are among the most influential works ever created.
Beyond the purchase of a book of paintings or Da Vinci posters or prints, there are many resources and much literature detailing Leonardo's life. But for those who want a quick study, The Leonardo Timeline (http://www.davincilife.com/timeline.html) offers a glance through the artist's life, while the biography section of this site offers a more detailed view of Leonardo Da Vinci and what shaped the man and his many talents.

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Leonardo Da Vinci Inventions

Many of us know that Leonardo Da Vinci was a brilliant artist with celebrated and poignant masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, The Vitruvian Man and The Last Supper. These works have resonated within circles of art lovers for centuries, and their true meanings are debated in classrooms, cafes and art galleries all over the world. Aside from his masterful, artistic talent, Da Vinci also possessed an acute scientific mind that he put to good use by inventing and re-inventing dozens of contraptions. However, Leonardo Da Vinci inventions have been somewhat overlooked and one might be pleasantly surprised to discover some of the ideas that have sprung from this artist’s mind.

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Flying Inventions
Leonardo Da Vinci’s fascination with machines began when he was merely a boy. His earliest sketches depict the inner workings of various machines from his era. Eventually, his creativity led to the outlines of flying machines, weapons and musical instruments. Leonardo first became enamored with the idea of flight in the 1480s. He designed what is called the ornithopter flying machine. Although the invention never came to fruition during his time, many believe that the helicopter was indeed inspired by Da Vinci. His creations may also have given rise to today’s hand glider and parachute.

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Springs and Things
Da Vinci inventions were diverse. He is credited with creating one of the first primitive alarm clocks, a contraption based on the flow of water. A thin stream of water would drip from one container to another until the second container was full, at which time the legs of the sleeping Da Vinci would be lifted by a combination of pulleys and gears, hence rousing him awake.
Although never actually constructed, Da Vinci designed a crane capable of moving large boulders effortlessly and efficiently, most likely intended for gathering stones from a quarry.

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War Machines
Leonardo Da Vinci inventions encompass the ordinary as well as the fantastic. He has been credited with designing the first war tank. It had to be moved with cranks by the hands of men or could be pulled by horses. The one major flaw in Da Vinci's design was that the front and back wheels were made to turn in opposing directions. Rumors have it that this phenomenon may have been intentional as Da Vinci was believed to be an anti-war individual. He took the makings of slingshots, crossbows and other hand-held weapons and worked on improving their functionality. He fashioned a short-range catapult that, although not far-reaching, was easier and quicker to load than any gun of that time.
Committing many of his sketches to paper, it is rumored that Da Vinci had dozens of journals that depicted his fantastical ideas - most of which might have been viewed as foolhardy.

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Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is one of the most famous and most celebrated works of all time. The mastery of the painting lies in its subtle detail, including the faint smile, and Mona Lisa's distinctive gaze. The work is said to have been commissioned by a gentleman named Francesco del Giocondo, who hired Leonardo to paint a portrait of his wife, and this is why The Mona Lisa is sometimes referred to as La Gioconda. While this is a theory on the origination of the painting, scholars have disagreed throughout the ages about how factual this story really is.
The Mona Lisa, aside from being one of the most recognized works in the history of art, is also one of the most widely reproduced works ever. Of course there are numerous Da Vinci posters available, many of which are of The Mona Lisa, available in different hues and a variety of sizes, there are also many other reproductions of the work. For instance, Andy Warhol used the Mona Lisa in the creation of one of his prints, and Botero reproduced his own version of The Mona Lisa, a cartoon-like oil painting. In 1954, Salvador Dali created a self-portrait of himself as Mona Lisa.
The use of The Mona Lisa does not end there; The Mona Lisa has been the inspiration behind countless novelty items including clothing, jewelry, houseware, as well as having been used in many modern day advertisements. La Gioconda has even been reproduced topless, and the Da Vinci poster has been turned into a mockery with the Mona Lisa in possession of marijuana, and even sporting hair curlers or braces.
The list goes on and on, and it is probably safe to assume that the Da Vinci posters and the extraordinary painting will continuously be tampered with to create a new Mona Lisa time and time again.

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A work three years in the making, Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper remains one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. Even over 500 years after the painting was completed, this piece remains one of the most studied paintings in history, and The Last Supper is among the most sold of all Da Vinci posters.

In 1495 Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned by Ludovico il Moro to paint a wall in the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The dining hall that Leonardo was to decorate with his painting was located in the building adjacent to the church. Leonardo was asked to create a portrait of Christ's last supper with his disciples, but more importantly, Leonardo chose to paint the very moment in which Christ announces that among the disciples lies a traitor. Through his brilliant brushwork, Leonardo manages to make the moment come to life with his personification of each of the twelve disciples, demonstrating their personal reactions to the announcement through facial expressions and movement.
His 12 disciples, whom Leonardo has cleverly divided into groups of 3, surround Christ, figured in the center of the painting. Alone in the center, Christ's arms lay open, encompassing him into a triangular shape, expressive of the Divine Trinity, while the four groups around him are each boxed within their areas of the painting. Like most of Leonardo's other works, geometric shapes form the painting and aid in creating the painting's dialogue.
Unlike the other paintings that had been made of The Last Supper, Leonardo chose to sit Judas in with the rest of the disciples. In paintings by other artists, Judas was often found separated from the group, making his role of the deceiver obvious. Leonardo's inclusion of Judas with the other disciples is part of what makes the painting such a masterpiece, as his inclusion in the group forces the audience to scan the painting and each character in it, and it strengthens the notion that each of disciples was questioning of himself when Christ announced to his disciples "One of you will betray me."
While Da Vinci posters are abundant, The Last Supper is certainly amongst the most exceedingly popular, found in holy institutions and homes around the world, posters and reproductions seem to be a wonderful way of bringing Leonardo home. Da Vinci posters are timeless and long lasting, but unfortunately the same cannot be said about the actual Last Supper. Early in the 16th century, the painting started chipping away, and while many restorations have taken place to conserve the painting, today many will say that the painting has been repainted more so then restored.
When he began the painting, Leonardo decided not to use the conventional fresco methods as this required that the painting be completed quickly, and it required the painter to work continuously. This was not how Leonardo wanted to work; he wanted to take his time and to reproduce his vision without the limitation of time. Leonardo developed a new technique that he would use to complete the painting. Throughout the ages, Leonardo has been criticized for the poor technique, but The Last Supper will always remain as one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.
One of the most widely known works in Italy, a visit to the site isn't all that easy. Apparently, only 20 people can view the work at any given time, and each group is only allotted 15 minutes in the refectory. Anyone planning a visit to the site should certainly consider reserving tickets early on.

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