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Leonardo da Vinci 1452 - 1519 (67)

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”


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Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519) was an Italian painter, architect, sculptor, musician, inventor, engineer, anatomist, surveyor. He was born in Vinci, son of Piero da Vinci, a wealthy notary and a young woman who was probably his maid. His father married a year later the daughter of a fellow notary, while his mother married a blast furnace worker. Leonardo grew up with his father in Florence and from a very young age showed an innate inclination towards music and drawing; at the age of fourteen he entered the workshop of the painter and architect Verrocchio. From 1472 to 1480 he worked in the workshop while at the same time he created his own paintings. In 1482, he moved to Milan where he offered his services to the ruler of Milan Ludovico Sforza, as a sculptor, painter and engineer, designing various types of machines, improving technical works and starting scientific studies in various fields. Between 1495-1498 he painted the "Secret Supper" and between 1483 - 1508 the Virgin of the Rocks. After the defeat of his patron by the French troops in 1499 and the occupation of the city by the French, he left Milan, spent some time in Venice and returned in 1500 to Florence, where his most productive period begins.

In 1502, as an architect and engineer, he traveled with Caesar Borgia to central and upper Italy, and in March of the following year he returned to Florence, where he began working on his famous work, the "Mona Lisa", at the behest of her husband. A little later began the fresco "The Battle of Angiari" for the meeting room of the Palazzo Vecchio, a work that will remain unfinished while continuing his studies on flying machines, making designs strongly reminiscent of gliders, helicopters and parachutes. During the period 1508-1512 he lived in Milan, providing his services to Charles d'Abuise, governor of the city. He is now a famous artist and among other things he does anatomical studies and pioneering drawings on human anatomy, while in 1511, after the expulsion of the French from Milan, Leonardo visited Rome. In the environment of the papal court, he deals with various scientific experiments and studies, in addition to various inventions. After the death of Giuliano de 'Medici in 1516, he accepted the invitation of King Francis I of France and worked as a painter in the royal court. At the same time, he continues his experiments and deals with architectural and irrigation plans. On April 23, 1519 he made his will; he died on May 2.