Leonardo da vici

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15 1452 in the village of Anchiano, Italy near the town of Vinci. In 1467 at the age of 15 Leonardo was sent to Florence to work as and apprentice for Andrea De Verrocchio. In 1472 at the age of 20 years old Leonardo was accepted into the painters guild of Florence. 9 years later Leonardo begins painting the Adoration of the Magi, an altarpiece for the Monastery of San Dontao at Scopeto. In 1495 Leonardo begins painting The Last Supper in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. 3 years later Leonardo finishes The Last Supper. This extremely difficult to visit painting remains on the walls at the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie, and is one of the most widely sold Da Vinci Posters of all time. Around the year 1500, Leonardo decided to leave Milan and head back to Florence where his good reputation had him readily received by the city. By 1502 Leonardo had entered the service of Pope Alexander the IV’s much feared son Cesare Borgia as a senior military architect and general engineer. Leonardo returned to Florence once more in 1503 at which time he was commissioned to paint a mural in the council hall in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. On October 18, 1503, Leonardo da Vinci rejoined the Guild of St Luke. For the next two years he designed and painted a mural of The Battle of Anghiari. Against Michelangelo’s will, a committee was formed to relocate the statue of David. In 1504, Leonardo da Vinci became part of that committee. The Mona Lisa was painted from 1503-1505/1507. It is the most famous painting in the world. Not only do the eyes “ follow” you, but the elusive smile on her face lends and air of mystery. The shadows at the corners of the mouth and eyes is the reason that they are both so intriguing. This shadowing is called “ sfumato” which means Leonardo’s smoke. In 1515, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to make a mechanical lion which could walk forward and open its chest to reveal hidden lilies. From September 1513 to 1516, Leonardo lived in the Belvedere located in the Vatican in Rome. The last three years of Leonardo da Vinci’s life was spent at the royal Château d’Amboise wih his friend and apprentice, Count Francesco Melzi Leonardo’s work was unique. Because of his extensive knowledge of the human form and the way humans show emotions, he was able to paint expressions and gestures that other artists had never successfully conveyed. His method and technique of laying on the paint and gradation of tone were innovative.