Leonardo da Vinci

Known for Initiating the Italian High Renaissance with paintings that set a new standard for composition and expression of complex emotion Possessing a sprawling intellect that touched astoundingly diverse areas of knowledge, but suffering from a tendency to assume too many projects in various fields, and failing to complete most 1470 Contributed a kneeling angel to Verrochios Baptism of Christ. Leonardos angel is generally considered superior to Verrochios central figures. 1481 Began painting Adoration of the Magi, an unfinished work that reveals his technique of beginning with a dark painting surface and adding elements of light, unlike most painters of his time who started with outlined figures on a white surface 1485 While serving the duke of Milan as a military advisor, painted The Virgin of the Rocks, which demonstrated his use of sfumato, a technique he developed for blending tones to create a soft glow and sense of atmosphere 1495-1497 At Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, painted The Last Supper, a dramatic depiction of the moment Jesus announced that he would be betrayed 1503 Began but did not finish Battle of Anghiari, a work that broke with conventions of battle painting and depicted the violent fury of battle rather than the historical narrative 1503-1506 Painted the Mona Lisa, which he kept with him for the remainder of his life 1506 Was summoned to Milan by Charles dAmboise, where he designed a military monument that was never built, and devoted his energies to anatomical studies 1510? -1513? Drew a self-portrait, perhaps the most famous of the many drawings he produced 1514-1516 Resided in the Vatican and focused his attention on scientific experimentation 1516 Moved to France to enter the service of King Francis I, and spent much of his remaining years conversing with the king and observing the properties of water Did You Know The subtlety of expression and glow of faces depicted by Leonardo is attributed in part to his practice of painting by the soft light of dusk with a linen sheet drawn overhead to further diffuse the illumination. The Last Supper, which began to deteriorate in Leonardos lifetime, suffered further damage when 17th-century monks cut a door through the lower portion, and was nearly destroyed by Allied bombing in World War II. Leonardo established modern techniques of scientific illustration with highly accurate renderings such as Embryo in the Womb (1510). Knowledge of Leonardos Battle of Anghiari, which was destroyed in the 17th century, is based on later artists rendering of the work, most notably a drawing by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. Leonardo performed autopsies on corpses to improve his knowledge of physiology, and ridiculed lesser artists depictions of human flesh, saying they looked like sacks of nuts. Culver Pictures Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was known not only as a masterful painter but as an architect, sculptor ...