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The Italian Renaissance was one of the most remarkable periods in all of Western History. It was an era of great cultural achievements that laid the foundation of the modern world, and it produced many remarkable individuals. One of the most remarkable of these was Leonardo Da da Vinci (1452-1519)was a critical figure in the late Renaissance. He Not only is widely he regarded as one of the greatest artists who ever lived. However, but he was so much more than this he was also a polymath and is often referred to as a ‘Universal Genius’. Among the subjects that he contributed made remarkable contributions to were science, engineering, mechanicsarchitecture, science, urban planning, cartographercartography, philosophy, and anatomyduring the Renaissance. While some of this work was done in secret, he also was a prominent artist, architect, and othersengineer.

Leonardo is recognized as making a unique contribution to the Renaissance, that period of time which 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.

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.

While he received little or no formal education as a child, at 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, he became an assistant to Verrocchio, and his extraordinary skills became well-known. His artistic style was considered to be extraordinarily original, primarily because of his unique use of light and shade. <ref>(McCurdy, p. 34)</ref> In either 1477/1488, Leonardo set up his studio and soon was receiving significant commissions.

====Influence How did Da Vinci influence on artArt?====[[File: Leonardo 2.jpg|200px350px|thumb|left|Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper’]]

====What was Leonardo 's contribution to Renaissance science and scienceengineering?====The great Florentine 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>. The Florentine’s Leonardo's ideas at this time are 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 and 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 so that they could not 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 the Florentine Da Vinci had published his work on science, such as his study of the heart, the he would ‘have advanced the march of science by a whole century’’ 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>. However, during  During his lifetime Leonardo did encourage some to privilege observation and experiment over the teachings of the Church and the Classics, which was to be very influential critical in the later phase of the Renaissance. Leonardo could be said to have helped to change the intellectual environment of the Renaissance to one that was much more modern in outlook.

====Was Leonardo as da Vinci an inventor? ====

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>.

Leonardo is one of the towering figures in the development of the Renaissance and , indeed , 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.  However, his approach to study and his interest in nature, inspired many people to adopt a more modern an outlookthat veered from the teachings of the day. Leonardo was a designer and inventor of genius. However, most of his ideas remained only ideas and often impractical. Therefore, his inventions made little impact on the Renaissance.