Leonardo Da Vinci

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Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest artists
ever. He wasn't just an artist he was also an architect, engineer and scientist.
He was born in 1452 in Vinci a town near Tuscan, Italy. His father was a
lawyer but little seems to be known about his mother. He was, though,
an illegitimate child.
He became an apprentice in Florence to the artist Andrea Verrocchio. Then in 1483 he went to Milan and secured a job with the Sforza's a ruling family.
Throughout his life he kept notebooks. One of these contained details of
what could well have been the first designs for a helicopter, airplane,
bicycle and even a parachute. Although none of them were developed further it shows that Leonardo was way ahead of his time.
After the French invasion of Milan in 1499 da Vinci returned to Florence but went back to Milan 9 years later. In 1513 he went to Rome for 3 years. There he acquired the job of principal painter and engineer to the French King.
Then in 1517 he moved to live in Chateau of Cloux, a place close to
Amboise, France. Leonardo's health though began to fail after he suffered
a stroke. This left him with paralysis on his right side. He was still able to
work with others helping with any physical work that he couldn't do. He
died 2 years later in 1519.
He is most famous for his paintings and there are just 20 recognized
paintings that he did during his life. The Mona Lisa is probably the one that
he is largely known for. Her facial expression has been much talked about; the portrait is in the Louvre, Paris, France. He also painted The Last Supper a huge mural that is in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. It is amazing this painting still survives as he experimented with the idea of
putting the oil paint straight onto dry plaster instead of wet. This turned out to be the wrong thing to do as the work deteriorate and it had to be restored. The painting also managed to survive when the church was bombed in 1943 during the Second World War.
From early November 2011 to the beginning of February 2012 the National Gallery in London is having an exhibition of some of his work. The exhibition has proved so popular that it sold out very early on.

© Children's Web Magazine 2011