Leonardo da Vinci
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Born: 1452
Died: 1519 Main Artistic Movement: Renaissance Nationality: Italian Floor Found in Château: First Floor Room Found in Château: Dining Room |
About the Artist
Born in the city of Vinci within the Florentine Republic, Leonardo da Vinci became a Jack-of-all-trades of the Italian Renaissance. In his life, he was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, scientist, anatomist, and engineer. Several blueprints and inventions by da Vinci inspired today's modern feats of engineering or transportation, including the parachute and tank. Many of his works of art include a plethora of artistic inventions, including point and atmospheric perspectives (which add visual depth to paintings) as well as sfumato (which is the blurring of outlines between figures and the background). These can be seen within his Mona Lisa (1503-1516), Last Supper (1495-1498), and Lady with an Ermine (1490).
About the Movement
Da Vinci worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: In order to visually see and sketch out muscles, tendons, bones, and parts of the human body in such a realistic fashion, da Vinci actually dissected corpses to study their anatomy.
Resources: Judy Rumerman, "Early Helicopter Technology," in Centennial of Flight Commission, (U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2003).
Born in the city of Vinci within the Florentine Republic, Leonardo da Vinci became a Jack-of-all-trades of the Italian Renaissance. In his life, he was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, scientist, anatomist, and engineer. Several blueprints and inventions by da Vinci inspired today's modern feats of engineering or transportation, including the parachute and tank. Many of his works of art include a plethora of artistic inventions, including point and atmospheric perspectives (which add visual depth to paintings) as well as sfumato (which is the blurring of outlines between figures and the background). These can be seen within his Mona Lisa (1503-1516), Last Supper (1495-1498), and Lady with an Ermine (1490).
About the Movement
Da Vinci worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: In order to visually see and sketch out muscles, tendons, bones, and parts of the human body in such a realistic fashion, da Vinci actually dissected corpses to study their anatomy.
Resources: Judy Rumerman, "Early Helicopter Technology," in Centennial of Flight Commission, (U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2003).
Artworks found in the Château: