Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael created the epitome of Renaissance art. Most of us know Leonardo’s artistic brilliance through his best-known paintings, the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper,” yet Leonardo’s art is one tiny facet of his legendary genius.
Some may be surprised to learn that he spent many years as an engineer, most notably, around 17 years for the duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, (who also commissioned Leonardo to create “The Last Supper”).
Leonardo made it his life’s mission to understand everything. ”Reading the thousands of words in Leonardo’s note-books, one is absolutely worn out by this energy. He won’t take yes for an answer. He can’t leave anything alone—he worries [about] it, re-states it, answers imaginary antagonists,” wrote late art historian Kenneth Clark in his book “Civilisation.” Leonardo drew on his artistic talents to decipher the world around him, and left thousands of pages of notes and drawings, more than any other artist….