Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath who lived in the Renaissance era during the early days of the Italian Renaissance. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician and scientist whose genius and creativity were so vast that it is impossible to name just one field that he contributed most to.
Leonardo was born out of wedlock to a notary named Piero da Vinci and a peasant woman named Caterina. His father never married his mother but did recognize Leonardo as his son. As a child, Leonardo was often sickly and suffered from respiratory problems that made it difficult for him to play with other children his age. However, he had a passion for drawing at an early age and showed an aptitude for mathematics at an even younger age than that — once pointing out that if you divide one by three, then add two and multiply it by three again, you would get five-thirds of seven hundred forty nine thousand two hundred thirty four.
Da Vinci began apprenticing with the artist Andrea del Verrocchio at the age of 14 and eventually rose to become one of the most prominent members of Verrocchio’s workshop. His most famous works include the paintings “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.” Da Vinci also did a lot of sketches and drawings that were studies of the human body and the natural world.
Da Vinci died on May 2, 1519, in Amboise, France.
