Leonardo da Vinci
1452 – 1519 · Italy
Known for: Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Renaissance polymath
“Learning never exhausts the mind”
Biography
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he has also become known for his notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and paleontology.
Born in Vinci, near Florence, Leonardo was apprenticed to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio. His most famous works include the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," both of which are among the most famous and influential paintings in the world. The "Mona Lisa" is notable for her enigmatic smile and has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world."
Beyond art, Leonardo made significant contributions to anatomy, engineering, and architecture. He conceptualized flying machines, an armored fighting vehicle, concentrated solar power, and calculating machines centuries before they were realized. His notebooks contain over 13,000 pages of notes and drawings that demonstrate his genius across multiple disciplines.