The Influence Of Leonardo Da Vinci

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“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions,” a famous quote by Leonardo Da Vinci, serves to comment on how we perceive what is around us, how we base our knowledge off of that, and how art can play a major role in influencing our knowledge. When the name Da Vinci is heard, most probably associate the term with the famous Mona Lisa or perhaps the words “greatest artist to ever live”. Although these two statements are quite accurate to an extent, Da Vinci was a man way beyond his time, he accomplished numerous feats during his lifetime and has influenced society and history in countless ways.
Although Leonardo Da Vinci came from a humble upbringing, he would grow to be a multi-versatile virtuoso in many areas, he was a painter, sculptor, …show more content…

Some of the most notable artworks of his include the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, two extraordinary works that continue to leave a large impact and influence on the art world and society today. Da Vinci may have started hundreds of artworks, but at the end of his life had only completed a little over two dozen. Da Vinci was known for his prowess in painting and had many wealthy patrons throughout his life. In 1495, the Duke of Milan commissioned Da Vinci to paint the Last Supper on the back wall of a well-known monastery in the fresco style. The artwork took a total of three years to successively complete, but the astounding beauty, drama, and accuracy of the painting is prominent. Da Vinci utilized many techniques that had not been seen before to complete this work, and other’s like the Mona Lisa, which was truly remarkable since those techniques are used today, for instance, atmospheric and linear perspective, chiaroscuro, sfumato, and the extreme detail in each individual face and figure. Da Vinci is most widely known for pioneering the chiaroscuro technique, meaning using light and dark to portray three dimensional figures, and sfumato, meaning utilizing smoky areas on paintings to create various …show more content…

Observers had even noted him for purchasing chickens from a farmer’s market and then setting them free in the wild to save them from being consumed. One of his last patrons was the King of France, Frances I, who offered Da Vinci the title of Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King (Burlington). In this position, he produced more anatomical studies, this time expanding to the realm of animals, and he painted many exhibitions of studies of the Virgin Mary, popular during the Renaissance. Leonardo Da Vinci passes away peacefully on May 2nd, 1519, in the presence of his most generous patron, King Frances I, in Cloux, France

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