On April 15, 1452, one of the greatest geniuses of humanity and one of the representatives of the Italian Renaissance was born in Anchiani, Tuscany, together with Raffaello Sanzio. His name was Leonardo Da Vinci and he was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci. However, he was raised at home by his notary father, who kept him for several years and married 4 times. Leonardo thus had 12 half-brothers and half-sisters on the paternal side and 9 half-sisters on the maternal side. From an early age he immediately demonstrated his talent in drawing and began training in 1469-1470 in Florence, with Andrea del Verrocchio. It was one of the main art workshops in the city, which churned out other famous artists such as Botticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio.
Leonardo Da Vinci: an itinerant career
Leonardo's fame grew quickly and the painter soon entered the circle of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who also asked him for military and engineering advice. Later, he traveled to the various courts of Italy receiving commissions from Ludovico Il Moro in Milan, from Isabella d'Este in Mantua and from Cesare Borgia. In need of tranquility, he spent his last years in the service of Francis I near Amboise, France, where he is buried today.
A unique and unmistakable style
Leonardo was a prodigious artist in drawing, painting and sculpture, but also a lover of mechanics, engineering, architecture and anatomy. He poured his scientific studies into every assignment he received. L'Last Supper (1495) is certainly the representation that most reflects this confluence of knowledge. He was a demanding man, often dissatisfied with the results and always looking for perfection. His works, in the most disparate fields of art and knowledge, blended an authentic description of the natural world with the attention to the psychological implications of "inner movements". Famous is theambiguously smiling expression of the Mona Lisa, defined "Leonardesca" already by contemporaries. So how can we celebrate the birth of the undisputed genius Leonardo da Vinci?
The machines designed by Leonardo on display in Venice and Arezzo
If you are near Venice or Arezzo, you can visit the exhibitions dedicated to machines taken from Leonardo da Vinci's codes. A working reproduction of the hydraulics, mechanics, warfare and flight projects at the Church of Santa Barnaba or at Palazzo Chianini Vincenzi "La Chimera Art Gallery" in Arezzo. In fact, Leonardo designed flying machines, dams, weapons, instruments for submarine combat and detailed maps.
Create your Mona Lisa
If Leonardo da Vinci were still with us, he might not be exactly thrilled with the various parodies of the Mona Lisa. Or yes? Leonardo was an artist, an insatiable teacher and perhaps he would have appreciated how the world has adopted the image of the Mona Lisa in various contexts. The painting, exhibited in the Louvre, is one of the most enigmatic masterpieces that the world knows. Why not try creating one Personalized Mona Lisa to celebrate the birth of Leonardo da Vinci?
The Vitruvian Man costs 1 euro!
Every day we have to deal with one of the symbols of Leonardo da Vinci: theVitruvian Man that we find on the Italian 1 euro coin. Leonardo da Vinci's obsession with the ideal proportions of the human body began in 1490, when he came into contact with the Treaty of Architecture of Vitruvius. For those who want to admire the original, they can find it in Venice Gallerie dell'accademia.
The legacy left by Leonardo da Vinci is universal. His drawings, his engineering and mechanical projects, his paintings and his writings can be found in Italian, French, English, American and Russian museums. The documentaries and research on his life and his works still continue today, digging over the centuries and looking for new interpretative keys. Happy birthday Leonardo, you definitely are one of the greatest Italian pride!
