Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man

During the Renaissance, the ultimate goal of a person was to excel in all aspects of life. Leonardo da Vinci is dubbed “the Renaissance Man” because he dabbled and succeeded in many different areas. Leonardo is most famous for his paintings, which captured shadow and depth unlike any other artist of his time. He also made remarkable discoveries in Science and anatomy, two subjects that had advanced very little during the Middle Ages. Evidence of Leonardo’s innovative mind is left in his many notebooks full of inventions that were not actually constructed until modern times. Leonardo da Vinci is the Renaissance man because he excelled in art, science, and engineering.

Art was Leonardo’s earliest passion, and it is his most famous talent. At only 15 years old, da Vinci was discovered in Florence by Andrea del Verrocchio and was offered an apprenticeship. He quickly surpassed his teacher and began his own career. Working under various dukes and kings, Leonardo produced some of the most famous paintings of all time. His works include the paintings “Mona Lisa”, “The Last Supper”, and “Adoration of Magi”. Leonardo da Vinci is still considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time.

Although Leonardo was a very talented artist, it was his inquiring mind and scientific discoveries that set him apart from others of his time. Humanism sparked a new interest in the human body and anatomy studies. Da Vinci was a pioneer in this field of study, and his interest delved way beyond the surface. In fact, Leonardo is known to have obtained corpses from local hospitals and dissecting them to better understand anatomy. By doing this, da Vinci understood the human body better than anyone of his time. Leonardo da Vinci was a great scientist who made great advances in the study of the human body.

Not only did Leonardo da Vinci question the workings of the human body, but also the mechanics of machinery. Da Vinci invented many different machines, many of which never passed the blue print stage due to lack of resources and power. None the less, today many of Leonardo’s sketches have been built and proven to work. One of his “flying machine” ideas is actually very similar to today’s modern helicopter. Leonardo eventually wrote the first systematic explanations of how machines work and how the elements of machines can be combined. Leonardo had an innovative mind that he put to use inventing anything from under ground traffic systems to flying machines.

Leonardo da Vinci excelled not only in the arts, but also in science and engineering. He painted some of the world’s most treasured paintings and made great strides in science. Also, he designed and engineered many inventions that were not actually created until modern times. Leonardo da Vinci succeeded in all areas of intellectual achievement, making him the ultimate Renaissance man.