Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, „at the third hour of the night“ in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci, in the lower valley of the Arno River in the territory of Florence.
Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most renowned artists of all time. His works have been the subject of political discussion, academic research, social policy making and even the title of movies in the entertainment industry. Leonardo Da Vinci is well known and recognized for his works in history and in the entire world. Throughout history Leonardo has been recognized as the “renaissance evolutionist”, the man who brought a new outlook to the art world, not only through his paintings but also sculptures and inventions.
He is one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance, best known for his masterpieces; Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks, and The Last Supper. He was also a sculptor, scientist, inventor, mathematician, philosopher and vegetarian.
He was left handed, possibly dyslexic and wrote backwards sometimes using characters and abbreviations that he invented himself. He enjoyed purchasing caged birds so that he could set them free and believed that „The time will come when men will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.“ He also dissected human cadavers.
Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France. Legend has it that King Francis was at his side when he died, cradling Leonardo’s head in his arms.
Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda or La Joconde) is a 16th-century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci during the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. The work is currently owned by the Government of France and is on display at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. In the present era it is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Its fame rests, in particular, on the elusive smile on the woman’s face, its mysterious quality brought about perhaps by the fact that the artist has subtly shadowed the corners of the mouth and eyes so that the exact nature of the smile cannot be determined.
During his lifetime Leonardo was valued as an engineer. For much of his life, Leonardo was fascinated by the phenomenon of flight, producing many studies of the flight of birds, as well as plans for several flying machines, including a light hang glider and a machine resembling a helicopter.
559 години от рождението на Леонардо да Винчи
Леонардо да Винчи е роден на 15 април 1452 година в град Винчи, тогава владение на Флоренция, като незаконен син на нотариуса Сер Пиеро да Винчи.
Леонардо да Винчи е знаменит италиански архитект, изобретател, инженер, скулптор и художник от епохата на Ренесанса. За него се казва, че е първообраз на ренесансовия човек и всеобхватен гений. Леонардо е прочут заради картините си, най-известните от които са „Тайната вечеря“ и „Мона Лиза“. Той е известен и с многобройните си изобретения, изпреварили времето си, но останали само на хартия. Допринася също така за развитието на анатомията, астрономията и инженерството.
Леонардо да Винчи умира на 2 май 1519 година в Кло Люсе. Според Вазари крал Франсоа I присъства в момента на смъртта му, но някои други сведения показват, че това е само легенда, популярна във Франция. Съгласно неговото завещание, ковчегът на Леонардо е следван от процесия от 60 просяци. Той е погребан в параклиса „Свети Юбер“ в кралския замък в Амбоаз.
