The extraordinary life of Leonardo da Vinci

Growing up, Apprentice, Publishing, Experiments, Inventions, The heart, Discoveries, The 'Mona Lisa', 'Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk'

Leonardo da Vinci’s achievements are so numerous and prolific that it is difficult to narrow them down to the most important ones. It is safe to say that if da Vinci had not existed, the world would be a different place. Not only did he paint some of the most important works of art ever created, but he also extensively contributed to the fields of engineering and anatomy.

From the way the heart works to the first flying machine, click through to learn about da Vinci’s life and achievements.

Birth

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Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy in the region of Tuscany. He lived near a town called Vinci, hence his name da Vinci, meaning "from Vinci."

Family

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Da Vinci did not come from an aristocratic background at all. His father was a notary and his mother was a peasant girl. Fortunately, his father acknowledged him and so he had a better social standing in his village.

Growing up

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In a small village, on a farm, da Vinci was raised by his paternal grandfather and uncle. It is said that they were very loving towards him.

Apprentice

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He decided to become a painter and joined the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio. Even though he became technically magnificent and could have made a living from just art, da Vinci also had many other talents he wanted to explore.

Writing

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Da Vinci wrote in mirror language. This is when you write from back to front, but it looks normal in a mirror. Researchers say he did this because he was left-handed and did not want to smudge the ink.

Sleep

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Da Vinci was a polyphasic sleeper, which explains why he could get so much done. Polyphase sleep is where you nap for 20 minutes every four hours instead of sleeping eight hours at night.

Publishing

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Even though da Vinci contributed heavily to both the fields of art and science, most of his works were not published or were lost over time. The academic community did not really regard him with much esteem because he could not speak Latin.

Experiments

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Whenever he wanted to learn about something, he conducted many experiments on the subject and recorded his findings until he could come to a conclusion. One of his passions was flight.

Inventions

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Da Vinci invented things you would not even believe. He designed the first parachute and a flying machine called the ornithopter. He also designed what is regarded as the first battle tank.

Anatomy

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He put together his two favorite passions of art and science in the study of anatomy. He dissected 30 corpses to find out what precisely was going on.

The heart

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Although the emotional and spiritual importance of the heart was understood during da Vinci’s lifetime, the scientific importance of it was hardly known. Scientists only thought that it generated heat, but not much more.

Discoveries

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The insight that he gained on blood flow and the way the heart worked were not publicly discovered until the 20th century. That is 500 years after Leonardo da Vinci first discovered them.

Art

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No matter how great at other professions he was, da Vinci is most famous for his art. Not only are his paintings shrouded in mystery, but they are also very scientifically accurate owing to his great understanding of anatomy and perspective.

The 'Mona Lisa'

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In the painting, he used a technique called chiaroscuro. It means "light and dark." Da Vinci was one of the first to use this method to give a portrait a three-dimensional look.

'Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk'

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There are very few representations of Leonardo da Vinci but this is one of them, done by himself. He did it when he was around 60 years old.

Death

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Later in life, Leonardo da Vinci was thought to have several strokes that stopped the movement in his right hand. This explains why some of his works were incomplete.

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