Leonardo da Vinci is one of the greatest men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, inventing, and science are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Leonardo, born on April 15, 1452, is known as being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo's talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo's potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence. This was the start of Leonardo's education and his quest for knowledge.
Leonardo da Vinci, as an artist is probably most known for his pieces The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. The Last Supper is a beautiful painting of the moment when Jesus announces that someone at the table will betray him. "The apostles are arranged in four groups. The central figure of Christ is highlighted by apostles who either look at him or gestures toward him. Christ is haloed by the central window space behind him, with the lines of the room all converging toward that point. The painting has great emotional power even though it is mathematically one of the most perfect painting ever executed." (Culture and Values pg. 18) There are several theories about the Mona Lisa, although all uncertain. It has been said that Mona Lisa is actually a self-portrait of Leonardo. X-rays of the painting and close comparison with drawings of Leonardo suggest that this may actually be true. Maybe that is why Leonardo one said, "The most praiseworthy form of painting is the one that most resembles what it imitates.
