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Leonardo Da Vinci By Cadet Ruvalcaba
Leonardo was born April 15th 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He died May 2, 1519 of natural causes. He was best known for his famous painting of the Mona Lisa. Leonardo was also a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and a scientist. The versatility and creative power of Leonardo marked him as a supreme example of a Renaissance genius. He depicted in his drawings, with scientific precision and consummate artistry, subjects ranging from flying machines to caricatures; he also executed intricate anatomical studies of people, animals, and plants. He was a man who had many talents.
Leonardo was a great inventor. One of his inventions was the tank. In this tank it took 4 men to sit inside it and turn cranks to move the wheels and make it move. Guns, spears and crossbows could be used to fight through slits in the sides of the vehicle and from the cupola on top. His armored car was designed to go into battle ahead of foot soldiers. It’s shell was re-enforced with metal plates containing holes that occupants could fire weapons through. Leonardo also toyed with the idea of using horses to drive the machine, but decided that they would panic in the enclosed space.
Leonardo's fascination with machines probably began during his boyhood. Some of his earliest sketches clearly show how various machine parts worked. As an apprentice in the studio of the artist Verrocchio, Leonardo observed and used a variety of machines. By studying them he gained practical knowledge about their design and structure. Many ancient machines were in common use in Leonardo's time. For example, water wheels turned millstones to grind grain and Archimedes’ screws lifted water from streams providing a ready supply for drinking and washing.
Another one of Leonardo’s famous paintings was “ The Virgin of the Rocks”. This is a painting generally accredited to Leonardo da Vinci, between 1495 and 1508. It was stolen from Florence during the Napoleonic wars and recovered in a small town in Austria some 50 years afterwards. Since then, it was bought by a French merchant before being sold to the National Gallery in London in the 19th century. The Virgin or Madonna of the Rocks is the first work that Leonardo executed in Milan.
