Leonardo da Vinci

Born on April 15 in the small town of Vinci, near Florence. Leonardo was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman. This humble beginning would shape his outsider perspective and drive for knowledge throughout his life. His grandfather Antonio recorded the precise time of his birth: "the third hour of the night," showing the family's attention to detail that Leonardo would inherit.

At age 14, Leonardo entered the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence, one of the most prestigious artistic workshops of the Renaissance. Here he learned painting, sculpture, and the mechanical arts. The workshop was a complete education center where art met engineering, mathematics met beauty. Verrocchio's workshop produced some of the era's greatest talents, and Leonardo quickly distinguished himself among the apprentices.

Leonardo was accepted into the Guild of Saint Luke, the organization of artists and doctors of medicine in Florence. This marked his transition from apprentice to master craftsman. At just 20 years old, he was recognized as a professional artist, yet he chose to remain with Verrocchio for several more years, continuing to learn and contribute to major commissions.

Leonardo moved to Milan to serve Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. He presented himself not primarily as an artist, but as a military engineer and inventor. His famous letter to Ludovico lists ten military engineering capabilities and mentions his artistic skills almost as an afterthought. This period in Milan (1482-1499) would be one of his most productive, where he painted The Last Supper and filled thousands of notebook pages with inventions and observations.

Leonardo painted his masterpiece "The Last Supper" on the wall of the refectory in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Revolutionary in its composition and psychological depth, the painting captured the moment Christ announces his betrayal. Leonardo experimented with oil tempera on dry wall instead of traditional fresco, allowing him more time to work but making the painting more fragile. The work established him as one of the greatest painters of all time.

Leonardo began painting the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) around 1503, working on it intermittently for the rest of his life. The portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, became the world's most famous painting. Leonardo's revolutionary techniques - sfumato (subtle gradations), atmospheric perspective, and the enigmatic smile - created a work that seems to transcend time itself. He carried this painting with him everywhere, never delivering it to the commissioner.

Returning to Milan under French rule, Leonardo deepened his anatomical studies, performing dissections and creating the most accurate anatomical drawings of his time. He studied the human heart, brain, and reproductive system with unprecedented detail. His anatomical notebooks reveal insights that wouldn't be rediscovered for centuries. During this period, he also worked on hydraulic engineering projects and continued his mechanical inventions.

Invited by King Francis I of France, Leonardo spent his final years at the Château du Clos Lucé near the royal residence of Amboise. The king honored him with the title "Premier Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King." Despite suffering a stroke that paralyzed his right hand, Leonardo continued working with his left hand and supervised the education of Francesco Melzi, his devoted pupil who would inherit his manuscripts. He died on May 2, 1519, at age 67, leaving behind over 13,000 pages of notes and sketches.