Not only was Leonardo unique in everything he could do but the fact that he lived to 67 years of age and was 6’ 3” tall in this era, made him even more so. Most people think of di Vinci as an extraordinary painter with amazing works like Madonna with Child, The Last Supper, and the Mona Lisa but he was also a sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the first Renaissance man, a man of "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination.” One of the things I find most fascinating is after 500 years his prints are still highly popular. Like most famous artists, you become wealthy when you die and don’t need the money.
Leonardo was born out of wedlock (very common back then), and was destined to be a commoner but he began drawing for recreation and locals saw his amazing talent and sent him off for an apprenticeship with a well-known artist. In a short period of time di Vinci went from pupil to master…some say much to the Master’s dismay. He became known as an artistic genius but what they didn’t know at that time was he was a genius in general. He never married and there was some speculation he was gay. Although if you think about it, he was obsessed with seeking knowledge and the people he hung around with were artists and intellectuals so it might have been more of a case of lack of interests in having any romantic relationships (just a guess).
Many of Di Vinci’s greatest works were religious paintings. Because Catholicism was such a big part of people’s lives back then, people would travel for miles on horse and foot, just to see his paintings. The Pope pursued many of his works and eventually had him move into the Vatican where he became one of the Pope’s closest associates. This made sense because the Pope was an intellectual as well. So Di Vinci’s paintings and the amazing art of De Angelo’s paintings on the ceiling, make the Vatican one of the greatest places in the world to view the best artwork of all time.
A lot of people don’t know this but some of his most important work at that time was with the military. There weren’t very many maps available so the army hired Leonardo to create maps of strategic areas. It was a dangerous job as anytime he was out surveying the landscape he was in danger of being captured or killed. Knowing his value though, he was always accompanied by military personnel. There wasn’t anything close to being as good of maps as the works of art he created. The fact is, knowing the terrain could make or break a military campaign especially back then so they considered him instrumental to their success.
One of the most unique drawings I saw of his was of a baby in a womb; there’s a picture attached. I don’t have a clue how he had this insight except to figure he saw some autopsies. Then there’s the awesome drawing of a man in a circle with his arms stretched out; this was Di Vinci’s drawing of a perfectly proportioned man (also attached). Leonardo is revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualized a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, and the double hull for ships, and he outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics which explains how the earth is moving beneath our feet moving land masses and creating earth quakes.
Within Leonardo's lifetime, his extraordinary powers of invention and his humanity which was evidenced by his vegetarianism and his habit of helping other people. He was also known for purchasing caged birds and releasing them. Apparently he had an amazing brain and heart.
Having no heirs, Leonardo gave his money to people who worked for him along with close friends and the poor. He became extremely wealthy but it meant little to him as his happiness was in doing and learning new things. He’s one of the most amazing men in history so I thought it would be worth reminiscing about his life.