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Leonardo Da Vinci: The Ideal Renaissance Man

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What is the “quintessential Renaissance man”? Justo Gonzalez defines the it perfectly: “He embodies the Renaissance view of what it means to be fully human, born to create, to leave one’s imprint on the world (…) [Leonardo] became the embodiment and symbol of the ‘universal man’ that was the goal of the Renaissance.” (González Vol. 1, pg. 369) One could say that the goal for the men of the Renaissance was to be as versatile as possible, picking up whatever trades they could master, along the way. Throughout his life, Leonardo da Vinci worked to become the ideal “Renaissance man,” even as a child, by inventing and asking questions, wanting to leave his mark in history.
The 15th and 16th centuries were a time of discovery, learning, and coming up with fresh, innovative ideas about the world. Men like Michelangelo, Botticelli, Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Leonardo da Vinci were all striving to become the sophisticated, ideal “Renaissance man.” Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy. Since Leonardo’s father and mother never married, he was an illegitimate child and one of 17 …show more content…

As the years went by, Leonardo proved to be an incredible inventor and artist, finding ways to do things that seemed impossible, and eagerly taking on any challenge that was thrown at him. Nevertheless, perhaps the thing that led him to be called the “quintessential man of the Renaissance” was the contributions that he made to scientific studies and research, through his notes and observations. To be a “Renaissance man” one had to be curious about the world around them, be versatile in what they did, and most importantly, leave their mark on history, and Leonardo da Vinci did just that and

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