Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius of the Italian Renaissance born on April 15, 1452. Much of his early years are a mystery and are undocumented. His father was Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci and his mother was Caterina, who arrived from the Middle East. He spent the first five years of his life living with her until he moved to live with his father. From there no further information exists about his early childhood until the age of 14. In that period the artist Verrochio's apprenticeship began. In this laboratory Leonardo discovered his passion for art and creative work. During his apprenticeship he acquired many technical and artistic skills and these skills led him to become the great artist as he is known today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Leonardo received an informal education during his time in the workshop as his father saw that he was an artist at heart. This time in the workshop was dedicated to learning sculpture, metalworking, mathematics, geometry and much more. Leonardo spent six years learning and creating. At the age of 20 he became a member of the “Gilda di San Luca”. He remained with Verrochio until the time he became a master himself. In that period he began his first commissioned work “The Adoration of Madi” which he never finished. After being accused of sodomy he disappeared for a few years until the age of 22. Nothing is known about what Leonardo did during this period as no documents are known about his whereabouts during this period. However, the courts acquitted him of this crime. Leonardo, interestingly, never married and instead spent most of his life perfecting his art. Leonardo received many commissions as he had a good background and excellent talents. However, his first two commissions were not completed as he moved while he was making his second commission. He often explored his talents in engineering and music, and in 1482 he made a silver lyre in the shape of a horse's head. Leonardo's early years were mostly spent in the workshop where he honed his skills and learned to become the artist he is. It was only in his later years that he truly became the influential mind he is known as today. Leonardo Da Vinci's talent was not limited to any field as the man mastered and accomplished many things in his life. One of the many things he mastered was science and engineering. He had a bit of trouble supporting himself as an artist and decided to create some inventions for profit. He worked with Cesare Borgia to create war machines and the things he created were truly revolutionary. One of his most famous war machines was his armored car. The armored car had the shape of a circle and could turn it together with its turret in any direction. The armored car was, as the name suggests, heavily armored and incredibly difficult to penetrate. However the car had a fatal design flaw that prevented its construction. Many believe that this flaw was too small to stop him and that he placed it intentionally as he knew the power this tank possessed. His inventions were not limited to war, however. One of his inventions was the modern clock. His clock used minutes and hours like we use now. Even though he didn't create the clock, his invention had a huge impact on the world that followed it. One of his most famous projects was his flying car. Although the device was never built in his lifetime, his designs were far in advanceabout the times. The machine would allow the user to fly similar to today's airplanes. Finally he designed a potential diving rig. While working in Venice he came up with the idea for a suit that would allow for stealth attacks from underwater. The user could breathe underwater for a long period of time and the suit also had a urine spot. Finally of his extraordinary designs was a helicopter. He called it an airscrew and it operated similarly to a modern helicopter. Able to lift and fly above the sky, this invention, like many others, was sadly never realized until after his death. But the genius behind the machine was indisputable. Leonardo Da Vinci was not only known for his excellent engineering and designs, but also for his fantastic works of art. Art was the main focus of his work throughout his life and it definitely shows. Although he dabbled in many art forms, a significant portion of his works were sculptures. Unfortunately none of his sculptures have survived to this day. His most famous work was a 24 foot tall statue known as "The Horse", intended as a tribute to his father, this gigantic horse statue and for the time this statue would be the largest bronze statue ever made. Unfortunately the bronze was taken and used to defend Milan from the French. Leonardo Da Vinci is responsible for some of the most famous paintings on the planet. His paintings, to name a few of the most popular, include the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper and many others like them. His influence on the art world was truly staggering. However, Leonardo claims that he never finished the Mona Lisa or any other work of its kind. His greatest regret is that he has never finished a single work. Despite the fame and splendor of some of his works, he claims that none of them were ever truly finished. The Last Supper was a commission by Leonardo and was to be the centerpiece of the Sforza family mausoleum. Da Vinci also made many drawings. Many of his drawings were sketches and drawings. However his most famous drawing is known as The Vitruvian Man. The drawing is the outline of the ideal proportions of a man. Another of his famous works was the gyrocopter project. For the time, possessing something of similar brilliance and mechanical ingenuity was almost unheard of. Da Vinci was a fantastic artist and was one of the most brilliant artists of all time. Leonardo Da Vinci, despite being a master artist, was also a fantastic scientist. He was an observational scientist and tried to ensure that he did not influence the results of his science. He was a pioneer of science and changed the way modern scientists do their work. At the time the only method of research was the Bible or the works of the past. Da Vinci learned that to prove his work he needed to repeat the tests over and over and get the same result. This was simply unheard of at the time and has had a lasting impact ever since. One of his main areas of study in science was anatomy. He created a notebook all about human anatomy and it was full of sketches of the human body, for example that of the Vitruvian Man. However, for about 20 years he abandoned anatomical research until in 1508 the topic aroused his interest again. At that time he had just made a breakthrough in his physics research. He was able to use this breakthrough in his research. He dissected about 30 corpses and had many notes to write in his book. He discovered the biceps and their purpose in the human body as a kind of leverage. His studies extended far beyond anatomy. He was also a brilliant mathematician. His skill in mathematics and geometry would lead him to create designs for some of the most amazing machines.