Leonardo Da Vinci: The Creative Mind of the Renaissance

Shukri 2

Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................4

Main Paragraph 1 ...................................................................................................................4

Main Paragraph 2 ...................................................................................................................5

Main Paragraph 3 ...................................................................................................................6

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................7

2
 Shukri 3

Outline

I. Introduction
a. Leonardo Da Vinci
II. Main Paragraph 1
a. Life as a child
b. Anatomy
c. Early works
III. Main Paragraph 2
a. Mona Lisa
b. Artworks
IV. Main paragraph 3
a. Other Works of Da Vinci
b. Mechanics
V. Conclusion

3
 Shukri 4

Naufal Shukri

Mrs.Panks

8th Period English

25 January 2011

Leonardo Da Vinci: The Creative Mind of the Renaissance

Mona Lisa could be argued as one of the most famous paintings of all time, and most

people would acknowledge its author as Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the great painters of Europe,

but do they realize that his works go far beyond just a mere piece of artwork? Leonardo Da Vinci

was an incredibly talented scientist and painter during his time of the Italian Renaissance, and his

creative mind and works have been influential to various fields of knowledge.

Even as great as a scientist and painter he was, Leonardo Da Vinci was considered to be

an illegitimate son of a Florentine notary by the name of Ser Piero and a common girl only

known by her name, Caterina(Nulland 13-14). Donna Albica along with her mother-in-law,

Monna Lucia, were most likely responsible for Leonardo’s early education before the age of

fifteen. He had private teachers teaching him mathematics and Latin, but how much teaching he

received is not known. The lack of teaching could be the reason why he didn’t master classical

languages even though he made efforts as he grew older (Nulland 21). Leonardo soon became an

apprentice of Andrea Del Verrochio, who was a well-known artist of that time (Heydenreich).

Leonardo’s talents flourished under the guidance of Verrochio since he gave freedom to his

pupils. They both worked on tasks including silver, marble, bronze, wood, crafted helmets, bells,

and cannon. He even impressed Verrochio by his ability to learn fast (Nulland 22-23). In order

to improve His art, Leonardo also began dissecting human bodies. He began to take interest in

finding the secret of the body structure and thought less of painting during his dissections. He

4
 Shukri 5

realized that there is more to learn in art and began to study geometry, mechanics, biology,

optics, military engineering, hydraulics, and architecture (Nulland 27). After joining the painters’

guild of Florence, Leonardo decided to work in his teacher’s workshop from 1472 to 1481. He

did complex sketches such as pumps and military weapons during this time, which indicates his

interests in “technical matters” even outside of art (Heydenreich). Leonardo soon moved to

Milan to work on the statue of Francesco Sforza. Leonardo never got the statue done since the

bronze that was to be used for the statue was instead used to make cannons (Nulland 35, 41). But

during his 17 years in Milan, Leonardo managed to finish six works. For 3 years from 1483 to

1486, he worked on an altar painting called The Virgin of the Rock. Also during this period,

Leonardo completed the wall painting The Last Supper, which was one of his noted works

(Heydenreich). It was also during his midlife period that he studied vigorously. He did more

dissection of corpses and studied the structure and functions. He also studied the flight of birds

and planned a treatise on it. His study on hydraulics also broadened to the studies of its physical

properties. All this is written down in the Codex hammer, which is now owned by Bill Gates

(Heydenreich). On his last few years, he spent his time in France and did little painting and more

on editing his scientific studies. Leonardo eventually died on May 2, 1519 (Heydenreich).

If one would ask an ill-informed person about what Leonardo was best known for, his or

her answer would typically revolve around Mona Lisa and his other artworks. Mona Lisa is

probably one of Leonardo’s best artworks that have survived to this present date. The Mona Lisa

is said to be the painting of the wife of Francesco Del Gioconda, a notable politician in the

Florentine government during Leonardo’s time. This would also be the reason why the

alternative name for the Mona Lisa is “La Gioconda” (Heydenreich). The Mona Lisa shows a

woman from the chest and above, accompanied by a distant landscape background. The curves in

5
 Shukri 6

the woman’s hair and clothing, the faint smile, and other factors contribute to the harmony

accomplished in the painting. The Mona Lisa presents Leonardo’s idea of a cosmic line

connecting humanity and its nature. The Mona Lisa is an account of Leonardo’s vision and

intelligence and also a painting that would soon recreate the standards of all paintings in the

future (Heydenreich). Another well-known artwork done by Leonardo himself would be The

Last Supper, which was painted with oil on a plaster wall located in Santa Maria Delle Grazie,

Milan. According to an online article, “It is one of the most complex paintings in the Western

tradition depicting a variety of psychological reactions and internal states all focused on a single,

non-reacting center, the figure of Jesus of Nazareth.”(Hooker). Like many other artworks,

Technical difficulties were inevitable. Leonardo at first did not know what technique he should

use, and instead of using the usual fresco painting, he used a technique he created: tempera on

base. The unsuccessful technique made the wall loose, and it turned soon turned into a ruin by

the middle of the century. Attempts to restore it only made it worse, but modern restorations such

as the one in 1980 managed to restore the work and show a little bit of what is left

(Heydenreich). Many great painters in the later generations such as Rubens and Rembrandt were

amazed and influenced by Leonardo’s work on The Last Supper; it could be one of the most

incredible paintings in the world (Heydenreich). Aside from The Last Supper and Mona Lisa, it

is true that Leonardo have worked on sculptures throughout his life. But Leonardo had never

been able to complete two of his huge sculpture projects: the statue for Francesco Sforza and the

monument for Marshal Trivulzio (Heydenreich).

Masterpieces of Art was not the only thing Leonardo has accomplished in his life; in fact,

Art is only a small portion compared to what he has accomplished in science, especially in

human anatomy. It is believed that his initial interest in anatomy started when he was working in

6
 Shukri 7

the workshop of Verrocchio as an apprentice. He originally studied anatomy as an artist, but it

grew to something more than that (Heydenreich). His discoveries and studies were taken down in

the form of drawings. He showed the different parts of the body by transparent layers and shows

the inside view of the organs. He also used methods such as making muscles as springs and

showing hidden parts as dotted lines (Heydenreich). Leonardo’s studies that survived make the

basic rules for the scientific illustrations in the modern days. He mostly kept his works to himself

since he doesn’t see himself as an expert, so the idea of publishing them never came to him

(Heydenreich). Anatomy was not the only thing he was accelerating on; Leonardo contributions

to other fields of science for instance, mechanics. Leonardo used elements such as wheels, lever,

and pulleys to understand motion and force. He used his time to create sketches of machines and

also invent some of them. With his knowledge in mechanics, he improved the clock during his

era, making more accurate by using the pulley system to control the weight. All his invention

consisted of wheels, pulleys. He even created the first robot in 1495; it was made up of wheels,

pulleys, levers, cams, gears, and cables. Other inventions he did were weapons and tools such as

the drilling machine, pile driver, and helicopters. Most of his machines never came true during

his time, but it is used today as a base for machines and inventions in the present (Reed).

Even though he is largely considered as a painter by most people, his knowledge goes far

beyond the knowledge of art. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge drove him to accomplish

many things that would make an impact on the world he left after his death. His paintings and

artworks mesmerized and reflected his intelligence; his studies on anatomy and various fields of

science were far ahead of his own era. His sketches and inventions pioneered many modern

inventions that were soon to come such as the bicycle and the helicopter. His studies have made

7
 Shukri 8

a strong overall contribution to what we now know. He truly had one of the most creative minds

in this world.

Works Cited

Heydenreich, Ludwig. “Leonardo da Vinci”. Britannica Biographies 2010. Student Research

Center. EBSCOhost. School Library., YISS Library 28th April 2010

Hooker, Richard. “Leonardo Da Vinci”. Wsu.edu. 6 June 1999. Washington State University.

Web. 27 April 2010

Nulland, Sherwin. Leonardo Da Vinci. Victoria: Penguin Books, 2000

Reed, Jennifer. “Leonardo Da Vinci: Man of Automation”. Boy’s Quest. Dec. 2009/2010: 24-26