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Leonardo Da Vinci Essay

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Leonardo Da Vinci

A Renaissance man in Renaissance times, Leonardo Da Vinci frequently defied a simple description. As a scientist, inventor, artist, and so much more, Leonardo Da Vinci’s works continue to impact our lives even now. Born on April 15th, 1452 in Anchiano (now a part of Italy), Leonardo came into a world on the brink of change. The Italian renaissance was sweeping through the peninsula during Da Vinci’s lifetime and he would soon come to be one of its foremost figures.

While there is not a great deal known about Leonardo’s early life, it does not seem atypical from that of a normal boy born into a fairly wealthy family during that time period. Born of a notary named Ser Piero and a peasant woman named Catarina, Da …show more content…

His first dated work, a black and white picture of Arnovalley, was completed on August 5th, 1473. This early work is a prime example of the attention Leonardo paid to detail. He would become famous for his emphasis on painting his subjects exactly as they appeared. This emphasis translated into many of Da Vinci’s other works, particularly his designs.

Beyond his fame as an artist, Da Vinci also designed a myriad of inventions. The breadth of his inventive prowess is astounding in light of his many other pursuits. Da Vinci designed or created devices that could immediately be employed in his own day, such as water pumps. He also drew up devices that are commonplace today, but would have been flights of fancy in his time, such as his design for a submarine. Da Vinci’s inventions that have a possible military application are some of his most interesting. As one of the great men of the Renaissance, he was widely considered a man of peace and thus was certainly not likely to invent weapons of war. Despite this, Da Vinci worked extensively on weaponry designs.

Through the years working with Verrocchio and beyond, Da Vinci also continued painting and a wide variety of other pursuits. One of his most notable talents was his ability to write backwards and with both of his hands. This handwriting was so unique that a mirror was required in order to read it properly. One speculated reason for his decision to develop such a talent were

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