Primary periods of Leonardo da Vinci's life:
Vinci Florence Milan Florence Milan Rome France
1452-1464 1464-1482 1482-1499 1500-1506 1506-1513 1513-1516 1516-1519
Born April 15, 1452. Becomes an apprentice in Verrocchio's studio in Florence (c. 1468). The Annunciation: a youthful experiment with perspective, is flawed, but heralds brilliance (1472). Becomes a member of the painters' guild; first known drawing is a landscape (c. 1473). Collaborates with Verrocchio on the Baptism of Christ (c.1475). Portrait of Ginevra de Benci, daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker (c. 1478). The Adoration of the Magi (c. 1481). Moves to Milan and begins keeping notebooks (c. 1482). Commissioned, along with the de Predis brothers, to paint Virgin of the Rocks (c. 1483). Studies anatomy and architecture (c. 1489). Vitruvian Man; Feast of Paradise (c. 1490). Lady with an Ermine; clay model for the horse monument is put on display in Milan (c. 1493). Begins the Last Supper (c. 1495). Does the drawings for Pacioli's De divina proportione (c. 1496). First attempt at a flying machine (c. 1498). Leaves Milan (c. 1499). Begins to work for Cesare Borgia as military engineer (c. 1502). Returns to Florence, begins painting the Monalisa,and works on it for the rest of his life (c. 1503). Studies the flight of birds; second unsuccessful attempt to fly; struggles to paint the Battle of Anghiari, a major commission in Florence that is eventually abandoned, unfinished (c. 1505). Returns to Milan, where he remains on and off, for seven years (c. 1506). Painter and engineer to Louis XII (c. 1507). Divides his time between Milan and Florence; studies of waterworks; designs the Trivulzio monument; second Virgin of the Rocks (c. 1508). Pursues his studies of anatomy and continues with hydraulics (c. 1509). Moves to Rome; the iconic Turin drawing, a possible self-portrait done in the preceding years, often defines our image of Leonardo (c. 1513). Moves to Amboise as a guest of Francis I, king of France (c. 1516). Dies on May 2, 1519.
His two most famous paintings in history: Monalisa; The Last Supper
His ability to combine art and science, made iconic by his drawing of a perfectly proportioned man spread-eagle inside a circle and square, known as Vitruvian Man, made him history's most creative genius.
An artist, a man of science and engineering; the archetype of the Renaissance Man; pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, optics, botany, geology, water flows, and weaponry. (p. 1)...
His ability to combine art, science, technology, the humanities, and imaginationremains an enduring recipe for creativity. (p.9)
the importance of instilling, in both ourselves and our children, not just receiving knowledge but a willingness to question it --to be imaginative and, like talented misfts and rebels in any era, to think different. (p.9)
"the most relentlessly curious man in history" (by the eminent art historian Kenneth Clark (p. 4)
...his science was not a separate endeavor from his art. Together they served his driving passion, which was nothing less than knowing everything there was to know about the world, including how we fit into it.... (p.2)
...he was a genius: wildly imaginative, passionately curious, and creative across multiple disciplines....Leonardo's genius was a human one, wrought by his own will and ambition. Leonardo had almost no schooling and could barely read Latin....[His genius] was based on skills we can aspire to improve in ourselves, such as curiosity and intense observation. He had an imagination so excitable that it flirted with the edges of fantasy... (pp.3-4)
Leonardo knew how to marry observation and imagination, which made him history's consummate innovator. (p.4)
...a desire to marvel about the world that we encounter each day can make each moment of our lives richer. (p. 7)
"Intellectual passion drives out sensuality." Leonardo (p.20)
Source:
Isaacson, Walter (2017). Leonardo da Vinci (Simon & Schuster, New York, NY). ISBN 978-1-5011-3915-4. ISBN 978-1-5011-3917-8 (ebook).
