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[[File: Leonardo 1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Leonardo’s drawing of Vitruvian Man]]__NOTOC__
Leonardo is recognized as making a unique contribution to the Renaissance, that period of time which that saw the re-birth of learning and a move to a secular worldview. The Florentine artist and polymath made a decisive contribution to this epoch. He decisively influenced artistic trends in his own time and in the later Renaissance. His interest in science and experiment inspired many humanists to study the world and nature. He While he was also a great inventor, but his inventions had little impact, on his own era.
====The life of Why was Leonardo Da Vinci==important?==
[[File: Leonardo 3.png|200px|thumb|left|Drawing of Leonardo in old age]]
Leonardo was born in 1452, in the village of Vinci, outside the city of Florence. His father was a wealthy lawyer , and his mother was a peasant woman. His parents were not married, and Leonardo was illegitimate, which carried with it a great deal of social stigma, at the time. He could not legally bear his father’s surname and , so he was named after his native village, Vinci .<ref> McCurdy, Edward. The mind of Leonardo da Vinci (London, Courier Corporation, 2013), p 4 </ref>. It appears that the young boy received little or no formal education. We do know that at the age of 15 he was apprenticed to Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488). He was one of the leading artists of his day and was a great influence on the young Leonardo, especially in his dynamic representations of the human figure. After the completion of his apprenticeship, the young man from Vinci became an assistant to Verrocchio and his skill soon became well-known. His style was considered to be very original, especially his use of light and shade (McCurdy, p. 34</ref>In either 1477/1488, Leonardo set up his own studio and soon was receiving major commissions.
====Influence on art==Why did Leonardo Da Vinci move to Rome?==[[File: Leonardo 2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper’]]During the early RenaissanceIn 1516, painting had advanced greatly, because of great artists such as Botticelli and Verrocchio. However, Leonardo he was invited to raise painting to new heights and his work is not only intrinsically important Rome, but very influential. His work was revolutionary because it was so realistic and expressive. Leonardo used his anatomical studies to better understand the human body and especially its actions. This allowed him to create images of people that are highly realistic and very dynamic. The emotions expressed by Leonardo are much more naturalistic than previous artists <ref>Hall, Marcia B. Color and meaning: practice and theory in Renaissance painting (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), p 117</ref>. Leonardo inspired many painters to adopt a more naturalistic approach. His ideas on painting were presented in his Treatise on Painting, which time here was widely read. Leonardo was a master of painting techniques, including not that of chiaroscuro, which is the treatment of the light and shadeproductive. Many incorrectly assume that Leonardo invented this technique, but While he certainly perfected it. His technique was followed by many subsequent painters. Based on his scientific studiesstill esteemed as an artist, Leonardo was a master of linear perspective and he exceeded all those who went before him. He developed new ways of representing perspective and this gave his painting more depth and made them appear more realistic. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the painting was the development of the sfumato technique, a new way to blend glazes. This made the figures in a painting living and breathing subjects. The techniques and styles developed by Leonardo were revolutionary and they, in particular, influenced the other great Florentine, Michelangelo. The frescoes of Michelangelo became more dynamic and expressive, as a result of the work of Leonardopopularity had somewhat declined. This was despite the fact that the two great artists did not like each other and were bitter rivals. The genius from surprising because Da Vinci later inspired other painters of the High Renaissance such as Raphael (1483-1520). Da Vinci’s treatment of the Virgin Mary was very influential in the paintings of Raphael. Among the others whose work was shaped by the great Florentine was Filippino Lippi (1457–1504) and del Sarto (1486–1531). Leonardo was also a very important influence on sculpture. His original sculptures are now lostbecame an increasingly reclusive figure. HoweverStill, at the time they proved enormously influential on the development of Renaissance sculpture. The Florentine was also interested in architecture and helped he continued to design the cupola for the Cathedral in Milan. He wrote an unpublished treatise on architecture fill his notebooks and produced made many architectural drawings <ref>Kempplans for future projects, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: the marvelous works but most of nature and man (Oxford, Oxford, University Press, 2007), p 113</ref>. These inspired many architects including the great Bramantethese projects never came to fruition.
==How did Da Vinci influence Art? ==[[File: Leonardo 2.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper’]]During the early Renaissance, painting had advanced greatly because of great artists such as Botticelli and Verrocchio. However, Leonardo was to raise painting to new heights, and his work is intrinsically important but very influential. His work was revolutionary because it was so realistic and expressive. Leonardo used his anatomical studies to understand the human body and especially its actions better. Da Vinci's studies allowed him to create images of people that were highly realistic and very dynamic. The emotions expressed by Leonardo are much more naturalistic than previous artists.<ref>Hall, Marcia B. Color and meaning: practice and theory in Renaissance painting (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), p 117</ref> Leonardo inspired many painters to adopt a more naturalistic approach. He wrote about his painting techniques in his widely read <i>Treatise on Painting</i>. Leonardo was a master of painting techniques, including chiaroscuro, which is light and shade treatment. Many incorrectly assume that Leonardo invented this technique, but he certainly perfected it. Many subsequent painters followed his method. Based on his scientific studies, Leonardo was also a master of linear perspective, and he exceeded all those who went before him. He developed new ways of representing perspective, and this gave his painting more depth and made them appear more realistic. Perhaps his most significant contribution to the painting was developing the sfumato technique, a new way to blend glazes. This technique made the figures in a painting living and breathing subjects. Leonardo's techniques and styles were revolutionary, and they, in particular, influenced the other great Florentine, Michelangelo. The frescoes of Michelangelo became more dynamic and expressive as a result of the work of Leonardo. Michelangelo's work changed even though the two great artists did not like each other and were bitter rivals. Da Vinci also inspired other High Renaissance painters, such as Raphael (1483-1520). Da Vinci’s treatment of the Virgin Mary was very influential in the paintings of Raphael. Among the others whose work was shaped by the great Florentine was Filippino Lippi (1457–1504) and del Sarto (1486–1531). Leonardo was also a significant influence on sculpture. His original sculptures are now lost. However, at the time, they proved enormously influential on the development of Renaissance sculpture. The Florentine was also interested in architecture and helped to design the cupola for the Cathedral in Milan. He wrote an inventorunpublished treatise on architecture and produced many architectural drawings.<ref>Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: the marvelous works of nature and man (Oxford, Oxford, University Press, 2007), p 113</ref> These inspired many architects, including the great Bramante. == How did Leonardo da Vinci influence Renaissance science and engineering? ==Da Vinci was fascinated by science, engineering, and mechanics. He wrote about these subjects copiously in his notebooks. His theory of knowledge was based on the study of nature. Leonardo was also intrigued by the human body, and he is believed to have dissected up to 30 human bodies and made many anatomical drawings. Moreover, he was a great observer, and he made many empirical observations that were insightful in areas as diverse as hydraulic engineering and town planning. This emphasis on empiricism was radical at the time because the authority of the Church and the Ancient Classical authors was unchallenged, and the received wisdom.<ref>Randall, John Herman. "The place of Leonardo Da Vinci in the emergence of modern science." Journal of the History of Ideas (1953): 191-202 </ref> Leonardo's ideas at this time were more akin to modern ideas on science and learning. However, his influence was limited by the power of the Church. For example, Leonardo could not publish his findings on his anatomical studies because the dissection of bodies was considered sinful by the Catholic hierarchy. He could have even prosecuted by the civil authorities. This is why he was forced to keep many of his discoveries and ideas secret. The Florentine wrote his ideas in his notebooks using mirror writing not to be easily deciphered. As a result, much of his scientific achievements and observations were not disclosed until a century or more after his death. If Da Vinci had published his work on science, such as his study of the heart, he would ‘have advanced the march of science by a whole century.’’ <ref> Reti, Ladislao. "Leonardo da Vinci and the graphic arts: the early invention of relief-etching." The Burlington Magazine 113, no. 817 (1971): 189</ref> During his lifetime Leonardo did encourage some to privilege observation and experiment over the teachings of the Church and the Classics, which was critical in the later phase of the Renaissance. Leonardo helped to change the intellectual environment of the Renaissance to one that was much more modern in outlook. ==Was Leonardo da Vinci an inventor? ==
[[File: Leonardo 4.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Anatomical drawings by Leonardo from his Notebook]]
Leonardo was also an inventor , and his notebooks are filled with many plans or drafts for inventions. Da Vinci drafted plans for a flying machine, diving suit, parachute, anemometer, armored car, self-propelled car, and even a robotic knight. Leonardo was one of the most prolific inventors in history. None of his inventions were ever developed into practical and working machines. They remained only designs on paper, even though there were ground-breaking ideas .<ref> Gibbs-Smith, Charles Harvard, and Gareth Rees. The inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. Phaidon Press, 1978, p 17</ref>. This was These ideas were not finished because Leonardo was not very good at finishing projects and he often . He also lacked the resources to put his ideas into practice, such as for his plans for a robotic knight. His designs for various inventions were too far ahead of their time and would not have been understood by his contemporaries. Moreover, the technology was not available to develop his innovative ideas, this was why . It was only in later centuries that his designs were appreciated. While Leonardo can be credited with having great ideas, his inventions made little or no impact on the Renaissance. <ref>Gibbs-Smith et al, p. 145</ref> == What was Leonardi da Vinci's impact on the World? ==Leonardo is one of the towering figures in the development of Renaissance and Western culture. He was a remarkable man and a genuine polymath who had extraordinary insights and achievements. The Florentine was able to develop new techniques in painting that revolutionized the art form, and it inspired many of the greatest painters of the Renaissance, such as Raphael. Leonardo had a great influence on sculpture and architecture in Italy during his lifetime and after. Leonardo was also a scientist and interested in a wide range of subjects. His scientific discoveries, such as those in anatomy, were kept secret, largely out of fear of the Church.
====Further Reading====Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: the marvellous marvelous works of nature and man. Oxford University Press, 2007.
Da Vinci, Leonardo. The notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Vol. 1-3. Courier Corporation, 2012.
Da Vinci, Leonardo. A treatise on painting. Read Books Ltd, 2013.
====References====
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