He was an artist, engineer, scientist, inventor, and musician. Leonardo da Vinci did it all. And he did it well.
As a painter, he created the Mona Lisa. It’s the world’s most famous artwork. As an inventor, he sketched tanks, planes, submarines, and helicopters. None of those machines were actually made until centuries after he died. Leonardo was skilled in architecture, sculpture, biology, botany, anatomy, geology, optics, and city planning. He may have been one of the greatest thinkers and creators of all time. People who knew him said he sang well and was a fine musician. On top of all that, people said he was kind, generous, and charming.
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in or near the town of Vinci, in central Italy. Da Vinci means “from Vinci.” Not much is known about his early life. His father’s elderly parents brought him up. He probably had only a basic education.
So, how did this son of a peasant and a law clerk become a brilliant man and one of the world’s top artists? Read on.
