Leonardo da Vinci
Italian·1452–1519
Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) embodied the ideal of the universal man through his achievements in painting, sculpture, architecture, science, and engineering. Born illegitimately in Vinci near Florence, he trained in Andrea del Verrocchio's workshop, where his talent was evident even as an apprentice. He worked for Ludovico Sforza in Milan, Cesare Borgia, and finally Francis I of France, where he died at Amboise.
Leonardo's paintings are few but monumentally influential. The Last Supper (1495-98) at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan revolutionized narrative painting through its psychological drama. The Mona Lisa (c. 1503-19) pioneered sfumato technique and became the world's most famous painting. His notebooks contain thousands of drawings and observations ranging from anatomy to flying machines. He completed few projects, driven by restless curiosity to investigate rather than finish. The Louvre holds the Mona Lisa and other major paintings. The Last Supper remains at its original location in Milan. The National Gallery of Art Washington displays Ginevra de' Benci, his only painting in the Americas.
