Introduction

Leonardo da Vinci was a genius in many fields. He excelled at painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, and engineering. He was a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance, a period of great achievement in the arts and sciences. Leonardo’s paintings Mona Lisa and Last Supper won him great fame. But he is also well known for his scientific studies.

Early life

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, near Vinci, in what is now Italy. When he was about 15 years old, he began studying with the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence.

Verrocchio taught him about painting, sculpture, and the design of mechanical devices.

Paintings and notebooks

Leonardo worked in Milan as a painter and engineer for a duke from 1482 to 1499. He completed only six works in 17 years, but these finished works include The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks. 

The Last Supper is an immense wall painting in the dining hall of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Both paintings are widely acknowledged to be artistic masterpieces. In 1980 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Santa Maria delle Grazie with The Last Supper a World Heritage.