Leonardo da vinci full biography. Biography of Leonardo da Vinci

Other scientists believe that the point is in the peculiarities of the author's artistic manner. Allegedly, Leonardo applied paint in such a special way that the face of Mona Lisa is constantly changing.

Many insist that the artist depicted himself in a female form on the canvas, which is why such a strange effect turned out. One scientist even found symptoms of idiocy in Mona Lisa, motivating them with disproportionate fingers and lack of flexibility in the hand. But, according to the British doctor Kenneth Keel, the peaceful state of a pregnant woman is conveyed in the portrait.

There is also a version that the artist, who was allegedly bisexual, painted his student and assistant Gian Giacomo Caprotti, who was next to him for 26 years. This version is supported by the fact that Leonardo da Vinci left this painting to him as a legacy when he died in 1519.

They say... ... that the great artist owes his death to the Gioconda model. That many hours of exhausting sessions with her exhausted the great master, since the model herself turned out to be a biovampire. This is still talked about today. As soon as the picture was painted, the great artist was gone.

6) Creating the fresco "The Last Supper" Leonardo da Vinci searched for ideal models for a very long time. Jesus must embody Good, and Judas, who decided to betray him at this meal, is Evil.

Leonardo da Vinci interrupted work many times, going in search of sitters. Once, while listening to the church choir, he saw in one of the young choristers the perfect image of Christ and, inviting him to his studio, made several sketches and sketches from him.

Three years have passed. The Last Supper was almost completed, but Leonardo never found a suitable sitter for Judas. The cardinal, who was in charge of painting the cathedral, hurried the artist, demanding that the fresco be completed as soon as possible.

And after a long search, the artist saw a man lying in the gutter - young, but prematurely decrepit, dirty, drunk and ragged. There was no time for studies, and Leonardo ordered his assistants to deliver him directly to the cathedral. With great difficulty they dragged him there and put him on his feet. The man did not really understand what was happening and where he was, and Leonardo da Vinci captured on canvas the face of a man mired in sins. When he finished the work, the beggar, who by this time had already recovered a little, went up to the canvas and shouted:

I have seen this picture before!

- When? Leonardo was surprised. “Three years ago, before I lost everything. At that time, when I sang in the choir, and my life was full of dreams, some artist painted Christ from me ...

7) Leonardo had the gift of foresight. In 1494, he made a series of notes that paint pictures of the world to come, many of which have already come true, and others are coming true now.

"People will talk to each other from the most distant countries and answer each other" - we are talking here, of course, about the telephone.

"People will walk and not move, they will talk to those who are not, they will hear those who do not speak" - television, tape recording, sound reproduction.

"You will see yourself falling from great heights without any harm to you" - obviously skydiving.

8) But Leonardo da Vinci also has such riddles that baffle researchers. Maybe you can figure them out?

"People will throw out of their own homes those supplies that were meant to sustain their lives."

"Most of the male race will not be allowed to breed, because their testes will be taken away."

Want to learn more about Da Vinci and bring his ideas to life?

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci is a man of Renaissance art, sculptor, inventor, painter, philosopher, writer, scientist, polymath (universal man).

The future genius was born as a result of a love affair between the noble Piero da Vinci and the girl Katerina (Katarina). According to the social norms of that time, the marriage union of these people was impossible due to the low birth of Leonardo's mother. After the birth of her first child, she was given in marriage to a potter, with whom Katerina lived the rest of her life. It is known that from her husband she gave birth to four daughters and a son.

Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

The first-born Piero da Vinci lived with his mother for three years. Immediately after his birth, Leonardo's father married a rich representative of a noble family, but his legal wife was never able to give birth to an heir. Three years after the marriage, Piero took his son to him and took up his upbringing. Stepmother Leonardo died after 10 years, trying to give birth to an heir. Pierrot remarried, but was quickly widowed again. In total, Leonardo had four stepmothers, as well as 12 paternal half-siblings.

Creativity and inventions of da Vinci

The parent gave Leonardo as an apprentice to the Tuscan master Andrea Verrocchio. During his studies with a mentor, Piero's son learned not only the art of painting and sculpture. Young Leonardo studied the humanities and technical sciences, the skill of leather dressing, the basics of working with metal and chemical reagents. All this knowledge was useful to da Vinci in life.

Leonardo received confirmation of the qualifications of the master at the age of twenty, after which he continued to work under the supervision of Verrocchio. The young artist was involved in minor work on the paintings of his teacher, for example, he prescribed background landscapes and clothes of secondary characters. Leonardo had his own workshop only in 1476.

Drawing "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo da Vinci

In 1482, da Vinci was sent by his patron Lorenzo de' Medici to Milan. During this period, the artist worked on two paintings that were never completed. In Milan, Duke Lodovico Sforza enrolled Leonardo in the court staff as an engineer. A high-ranking person was interested in defensive devices and devices for entertaining the court. Da Vinci had the opportunity to develop the talent of an architect and the ability of a mechanic. His inventions turned out to be an order of magnitude better than those offered by contemporaries.

The engineer stayed in Milan under the Duke of Sforza for about seventeen years. During this time, Leonardo painted the paintings “Madonna in the Grotto” and “Lady with an Ermine”, created his most famous drawing “Vitruvian Man”, made a clay model of the equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza, painted the wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery with the composition “The Last Supper”, made a number of anatomical sketches and drawings of devices.

Leonardo's engineering talent was useful to him after returning to Florence in 1499. He got a job with Duke Cesare Borgia, who counted on da Vinci's ability to create military mechanisms. The engineer worked in Florence for about seven years, after which he returned to Milan again. By that time, he had already completed work on his most famous painting, which is now stored in the Louvre Museum.

The master's second Milan period lasted six years, after which he left for Rome. In 1516, Leonardo went to France, where he spent his last years. On the journey, the master took with him Francesco Melzi, a student and main heir to the artistic style of da Vinci.

Portrait of Francesco Melzi

Despite the fact that Leonardo spent only four years in Rome, it is in this city that the museum named after him is located. In the three halls of the institution you can get acquainted with the devices built according to the drawings of Leonardo, look at copies of paintings, photos of diaries and manuscripts.

The Italian devoted most of his life to engineering and architectural projects. His inventions were both military and peaceful. Leonardo is known as a developer of tank prototypes, an aircraft, a self-propelled cart, a searchlight, a catapult, a bicycle, a parachute, a mobile bridge, a machine gun. Some drawings of the inventor still remain a mystery to researchers.

Drawings and sketches of some of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci

In 2009, the Discovery TV channel aired a series of films called Da Vinci Apparatus. Each of the ten episodes of the documentary series was dedicated to the construction and testing of mechanisms according to Leonardo's original drawings. The film's technicians tried to recreate the inventions of the Italian genius using materials from his era.

Personal life

The personal life of the master was kept by him in the strictest confidence. For entries in his diaries, Leonardo used a cipher, but even after decoding, the researchers received little reliable information. There is a version that da Vinci's unconventional orientation was the reason for the secrecy.

The basis of the theory that the artist loved men was the guesswork of researchers based on circumstantial facts. At a young age, the artist appeared in a case of sodomy, but it is not known for certain in what capacity. After this incident, the master became very secretive and stingy with comments about his personal life.

Possible lovers of Leonardo include some of his students, the most famous of which is Salai. The young man was endowed with an effeminate appearance and became a model for several paintings by da Vinci. The painting "John the Baptist" is one of the surviving works of Leonardo, for which Salai posed.

There is a version that "Mona Lisa" was also written from this sitter, dressed in a woman's dress. It should be noted that there is some physical similarity between the people depicted in the paintings "Mona Lisa" and "John the Baptist". It remains a fact that da Vinci bequeathed his artistic masterpiece to Salai.

Historians also rank Francesco Melzi as a possible beloved of Leonardo.

There is another version of the secret of the Italian's personal life. There is an opinion that Leonardo had a romantic relationship with Cecilia Gallerani, who, presumably, is depicted in the portrait "Lady with an Ermine". This woman was the favorite of the Duke of Milan, the owner of the literary salon, the patroness of the arts. She introduced the young artist to the circle of Milanese bohemia.

Fragment of the painting "Lady with Ermine"

Among da Vinci's notes, a draft letter was found addressed to Cecilia, which began with the words: "My beloved goddess ...". Researchers suggest that the portrait of the "Lady with an Ermine" was painted with clear signs of unspent feelings for the woman depicted on it.

Some researchers believe that the great Italian did not know carnal love at all. Men and women were not physically attracted to him. In the context of this theory, it is assumed that Leonardo led the life of a monk who did not give birth to descendants, but left a great legacy.

Death and grave

Modern researchers have concluded that the probable cause of the artist's death is a stroke. Da Vinci died at the age of 67 in 1519. Thanks to the memoirs of contemporaries, it is known that by that time the artist was already suffering from partial paralysis. Leonardo could not move his right hand, as researchers believe, due to a stroke in 1517.

Despite the paralysis, the master continued an active creative life, resorting to the help of his student Francesco Melzi. Da Vinci's health was deteriorating, and by the end of 1519 it was already difficult for him to walk without assistance. This evidence is consistent with the theoretical diagnosis. Scientists believe that a second attack of cerebrovascular accident in 1519 ended the life of the famous Italian.

Monument to Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, Italy

At the time of his death, the master was in the Clos Luce castle near the city of Amboise, where he lived for the last three years of his life. In accordance with Leonardo's will, his body was buried in the gallery of the church of Saint-Florentin.

Unfortunately, the master's grave was devastated during the Huguenot wars. The church, in which the Italian rested, was plundered, after which it fell into severe disrepair and was demolished by the new owner of the Amboise castle, Roger Ducos, in 1807.

After the destruction of the Saint-Florentin chapel, the remains from many graves from different years were mixed and buried in the garden. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, researchers made several attempts to identify the bones of Leonardo da Vinci. Innovators in this matter were guided by the lifetime description of the master and chose the most suitable fragments from the remains found. They have been studied for some time. The work was led by archaeologist Arsen Usse. He also found fragments of a tombstone, presumably from the grave of da Vinci, and a skeleton, in which some fragments were missing. These bones were reburied in the reconstructed tomb of the artist in the chapel of Saint Hubert on the grounds of the Château d'Amboise.

In 2010, a team of researchers led by Silvano Vincheti was about to exhume the remains of a Renaissance master. It was planned to identify the skeleton using genetic material taken from the graves of Leonardo's paternal relatives. Italian researchers failed to obtain permission from the owners of the castle to carry out the necessary work.

In the place where the Church of Saint-Florentin used to be, at the beginning of the last century, a granite monument was erected, marking the four hundredth anniversary of the death of the famous Italian. The reconstructed tomb of the engineer and the stone monument with his bust are among the most popular sights of Amboise.

Secrets of da Vinci paintings

Leonardo's work has occupied the minds of art historians, religious researchers, historians and the public for more than four hundred years. The works of the Italian artist became an inspiration for people of science and creativity. There are many theories that reveal the secrets of da Vinci's paintings. The most famous of them says that when writing his masterpieces, Leonardo used a special graphic code.

With the help of a device of several mirrors, the researchers managed to find out that the secret of the views of the characters from the paintings "La Gioconda" and "John the Baptist" lies in the fact that they are looking at a masked creature resembling an alien alien. The secret cipher in Leonardo's notes was also deciphered using an ordinary mirror.

Hoaxes around the work of the Italian genius led to the emergence of a number of works of art, the author of which was the writer. His novels have become bestsellers. In 2006, the film The Da Vinci Code was released, based on the work of the same name by Brown. The film was met with a wave of criticism from religious organizations, but set box office records in its first month of release.

Lost and unfinished works

Not all of the master's works have survived to our time. Works that have not survived include: a shield with a painting in the form of the head of Medusa, a sculpture of a horse for the Duke of Milan, a portrait of the Madonna with a spindle, the painting "Leda and the Swan" and the fresco "Battle of Anghiari".

Modern researchers know about some of the master's paintings thanks to the preserved copies and memoirs of da Vinci's contemporaries. For example, the fate of the original Leda and the Swan is still unknown. Historians believe that the painting may have been destroyed in the mid-seventeenth century on the orders of the Marquise de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV. Sketches made by Leonardo's hand and several copies of the canvas made by different artists have survived to our time.

The painting depicted a young naked woman in the arms of a swan, at whose feet babies hatched from huge eggs play. When creating this masterpiece, the artist was inspired by a famous mythical story. It is interesting that the canvas based on the story of the copulation of Leda with Zeus, who took the form of a swan, was written not only by da Vinci.

Leonardo's lifetime rival also painted a picture dedicated to this ancient myth. The painting by Buonarotti suffered the same fate as the work of da Vinci. Paintings by Leonardo and Michelangelo simultaneously disappeared from the collection of the French royal house.

Among the unfinished works of the brilliant Italian, the painting "The Adoration of the Magi" stands out. The canvas was commissioned by the Augustinian monks in 1841, but remained unfinished due to the departure of the master to Milan. The customers found another artist, and Leonardo saw no reason to continue working on the painting.

Fragment of the painting “The Adoration of the Magi”

Researchers believe that the composition of the canvas has no analogues in Italian painting. The painting depicts Mary with the newborn Jesus and the Magi, and behind the backs of the pilgrims are horse riders and the ruins of a pagan temple. There is an assumption that Leonardo depicted in the picture among the men who came to the son of God, and himself at the age of 29 years.

• Researcher of religious mysteries Lynn Picknett published the book Leonardo da Vinci and the Brotherhood of Zion in 2009, naming the famous Italian as one of the masters of a secret religious order.
• It is believed that da Vinci was a vegetarian. He wore clothes made of linen, neglecting outfits made of leather and natural silk.
• A team of researchers plans to isolate Leonardo's DNA from the surviving personal belongings of the master. Historians also claim they are close to finding da Vinci's maternal relatives.
• The Renaissance was the time when noble women in Italy were addressed with the words "my mistress", in Italian - "Madonna" (ma donna). In colloquial speech, the expression was reduced to "monna" (monna). This means that the name of the painting "Mona Lisa" can literally be translated as "Madame Lisa".

• Raphael Santi called da Vinci his teacher. He visited the studio of Leonardo in Florence, tried to adopt some features of his artistic style. Raphael Santi also called Michelangelo Buonarroti his teacher. The three artists mentioned are considered the main geniuses of the Renaissance.
• Australian enthusiasts have created the largest traveling exhibition of the inventions of the great architect. The exposition was developed with the participation of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Italy. The exhibition has already visited six continents. During its operation, five million visitors were able to see and touch the works of the most famous engineer of the Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci is an Italian artist (painter, sculptor, architect) and scientist (anatomist, naturalist), inventor, writer and musician, one of the largest representatives of the art of the High Renaissance.

So in front of you biography of Leonardo da Vinci.

Biography of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the small town of Vinci, not far from Florence. He was born as a result of a love affair between the notary Piero and the peasant woman Katerina.

The official union of these two people was impossible due to the fact that the girl came from the lower class.

Features of Leonardo da Vinci

Childhood and youth

Soon, da Vinci's father married a wealthy woman, as a result of which the first years of his life, Leonardo lived with his own mother.

However, when Piero and his wife did not have children for a long time, the father decided to adopt his first child, taking him from Katerina.

Leonardo's childhood attachment to his mother, which he lost at such an early age, was forever imprinted in his memory.

Subsequently, in many of his paintings, he tried to convey the maternal image that he carefully kept in his heart.

The house where Leonardo da Vinci lived as a child

After 10 years, the first wife of the notary Piero died, after which he remarried.

In total, Leonardo da Vinci had 4 stepmothers, as well as 12 paternal sisters and brothers.

The work of Leonardo da Vinci

When Leonardo da Vinci grew up a little, his father sent him to study with the master Andrea Verrocchio, who taught him various crafts.

This was the first important stage in the biography of Leonardo da Vinci. Already in childhood, he showed abilities in various fields of activity.

Supposed self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci

He quickly learned to paint, create sculptures, dress leather, process metals and learn about various things. In the future, all this knowledge was useful to da Vinci.

When the young man was 20 years old, he continued to work with his teacher. Verrocchio, of course, saw how gifted his student was.

He often trusted Leonardo to finish any fragments on his canvases, for example, minor characters, or.

Interestingly, Leonardo da Vinci will have his own workshop in 4 years.

In 1482, Lorenzo de' Medici sent Leonardo da Vinci to Milan to Duke Lodovico Sforzo, who was in dire need of talented engineers.

He urgently needed high-quality defensive devices, as well as devices to amuse his yard.

Leonardo da Vinci did not let the duke down, having managed to build the necessary devices, which turned out to be much better than those offered by other inventors.

It is not surprising that Sforzo greatly valued an unusually talented artist and scientist. As a result, Leonardo da Vinci stayed at the court of Lodovico Sforzo for about 17 years.

During this period of his biography, he managed to create many ingenious paintings and sculptures, and complete a lot of anatomical sketches. In addition, the great Leonardo drew many drawings of various devices.

He wanted to design machines that could not only drive on land, but also swim under water and fly in the sky.

In 1499, Leonardo da Vinci returned to Florence, where he began working at the court of Cesare Borgia. The Duke was primarily interested in the creation of military equipment, with the help of which it was possible to wage an effective war with the enemy.

In the service of the Borgia, Leonardo da Vinci stayed for 7 years, after which he decided to return to Milan. By this point in his biography, he had already managed to write the famous La Gioconda, which is now in the French Louvre.

After arriving in Milan, he stayed in this city for 6 years, and then moved to Rome. During this period of his biography, he still continued to paint and invent various devices.

In 1516, 3 years before his death, Leonardo da Vinci went to France, where he stayed until the end of his life. On this trip, he was accompanied by one of his students and the main follower of his artistic style, Francesco Melzi.

Personal life

Not much is known about Leonardo da Vinci's personal life. Despite the fact that he kept a personal diary, he encrypted all his notes.

However, even after they were able to decipher, the researchers received very little information about the true biography of the great scientist.

Some biographers have suggested that the reason for Leonardo da Vinci's secrecy could be his unconventional orientation.

Moreover, there are versions that the artist's lover could be his student Salai, who has an effeminate appearance. However, there is no evidence for such claims.

By the way, Salai posed for several paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. For example, he was the model for the famous painting "John the Baptist". There is a version that the Mona Lisa was also painted with Salai, since many art historians see the obvious similarity of the characters depicted on both canvases.

However, as mentioned earlier, there are simply no facts about relationships with men or even women in the biography of Leonardo da Vinci.

A number of researchers reasonably argue that Leonardo never knew carnal intimacy at all, having lived a virgin all his life.

Death and grave

The great Leonardo da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 at the age of 67, in the castle of Clos Luce. He bequeathed to bury his body in the church of Saint-Florentin.

Researchers speculate that a stroke may have been the likely cause of his death. To this day, the memoirs of his contemporaries have survived who claimed that Leonardo da Vinci was partially paralyzed. For example, 2 years before his death, he could not move his right arm due to a stroke he suffered.

In the last years of his life, he continued to create with the help of his student Francesco Melzi. However, every day his health deteriorated, as a result of which he could no longer move without assistance.

The life path of the Florentine genius ended after a second stroke in 1519.

At the same time, it is worth emphasizing that all assumptions about how the last years of the biography of Leonardo da Vinci passed were not confirmed by reliable facts, but are only guesses.

Monument to Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, Italy

At the height of the Huguenot wars, the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci was devastated. Only after three hundred years, scientists have made attempts to identify his remains.

Today, on the site of the ruined church in which he was buried, a granite monument with a bust of the great Leonardo has been erected.

Secrets of Leonardo da Vinci

The works of Leonardo da Vinci are seriously studied by scientists, art historians, and even religious figures. Many assume that when writing his paintings, the artist allegedly used some kind of graphic code.

For example, with the help of several mirrors, scientists were able to unravel the mystery of the views of the Gioconda and John the Baptist.

As it turns out, both characters are fixing their eyes on the mysterious masked creature. The secret code in da Vinci's diaries was also revealed through mirrors.

Drawings and sketches of some of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci

At the same time, the American writer Dan Brown wrote more than one book related to the artist's work. In 2006, based on Brown's work, the film The Da Vinci Code was filmed, which gained immense popularity around the world.

Many religious leaders and believers have criticized the film, calling it blasphemous. An interesting fact is that both Christians and Muslims adhered to this opinion.

Despite this, the film was watched by a record number of viewers. This, in turn, led to the fact that a lot of people began to take a keen interest in the personality and biography of Leonardo da Vinci, as well as his brilliant works.

History of Leonardo da Vinci

An interesting fact is that today anyone can visit the museum in Rome, named after Leonardo, and see with his own eyes the devices built according to his drawings.

There are also copies of da Vinci's brilliant paintings and photographs of his original manuscripts. In other words, by visiting this museum you will be able to realistically imagine the life story of the great Florentine.

Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci paid great attention to engineering and architectural art. He is the author of many inventions that were ahead of their time by several centuries.

A brief biography of Leonardo da Vinci does not allow a detailed description of all the inventions of this great genius. Here are just a few of them: the world's first tank, an aircraft and a catapult, a machine gun and scissors, a bicycle, etc., etc.

Just think, all these inventions were designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century, more than 500 years ago!

Moreover, the world's first parachute was also invented by the genius da Vinci. An interesting fact is that recently modern scientists were able to create an exact copy of such a parachute according to da Vinci's drawings. Tests have shown that he does his job quite well.

Monument to Leonardo da Vinci in Amboise

It is important to note that today many drawings and sketches of Leonardo da Vinci are still incomprehensible to scientists.

Perhaps in the future we will be able to penetrate the mystery of the biography of Leonardo da Vinci, and solve all the mysteries that he left us.

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Leonardo da Vinci. 04/15/1452, Vinci - 05/02/1519, Clu

The unprecedented attention now paid by historians and novelists to the personality of Leonardo da Vinci is evidence of a turning point in relation to the culture of the Renaissance, a reassessment of the spiritual content of the “greatest progressive upheaval” that underlies modern European civilization. In Leonardo they see a kind of quintessence of the emerging era, emphasizing and highlighting in his work either the connection with the worldview of the previous time, or the cardinal demarcation with it. Mysticism and rationalism coexist in the assessment of his personality in an incomprehensible balance, and even the huge written heritage of the master, which has come down to our time, is not able to shake him. Leonardo da Vinci is among the greatest scientists, although very few of his projects were carried out. He is also one of the greatest figures of art, despite the fact that he created very few paintings (besides, not all of them have survived) and even fewer sculptures (not survived at all). What makes Leonardo great is not the number of embodied ideas, but the change in the method of both scientific and artistic activity. Figuratively speaking, he sought to "understand the organism of each object separately and the organism of the entire universe" (A. Benois).

Leonardo da Vinci. Self-portrait, ca. 1510-1515

Childhood and adolescence Leonardo documented very little. His father, Piero da Vinci, was a hereditary notary; already in the year of his son's birth, he practiced in Florence and soon rose to prominence there. All that is known about her mother is that her name was Caterina, she came from a peasant family, and soon after the birth of Leonardo she was married to a wealthy farmer, a certain Accatabrigio di Piero del Vaccia. Leonardo was taken into his father's house and raised by his childless stepmother, Albiera Amadori. What and how he was taught, what were his first experiments in drawing - is unknown. It is only indisputable that his uncle Francesco, with whom Leonardo da Vinci maintained the warmest relations all his life, had a great, if not decisive influence on the formation of the boy's personality. Since Leonardo was an illegitimate son, he could not inherit his father's profession. Vasari reports that Piero was friends with Andrea Verrocchio and once showed him the drawings of his son, after which Andrea took Leonardo to his workshop. Piero moved to Florence with his family in 1466, therefore, Leonardo da Vinci found himself in the workshop (bottegue) of Verrocchio at the age of fourteen.

The largest works performed by Verrocchio during the period of Leonardo's studies with him were the statue of David (Florence, Bargello), commissioned by the family Medici(it is believed that the young Leonardo da Vinci posed for her), and the completion of the dome of the Florence Cathedral with a golden ball with a cross (the order of the city was received on September 10, 1468 and completed in May 1472). In the workshop of Andrea, the best in Florence, Leonardo da Vinci had the opportunity to study all kinds of fine arts, architecture, perspective theory and to get acquainted partly with the natural and human sciences. Apparently, his formation as a painter was influenced not so much by Verrocchio himself, but by Botticelli and Perugino.

In 1469, Piero da Vinci received the post of notary of the Florentine Republic, and then a number of major monasteries and families. By this time he was widowed. Having finally moved to Florence, Piero remarried and took Leonardo to his house. Leonardo continued his studies with Verrocchio, and also independently studied science. Already in these years he met Paolo Toscanelli (mathematician, doctor, astronomer and geographer) and Leon Battista Alberti. In 1472, he joined the painters' guild and, as an entry in the guild book testifies, he paid a fee to organize the feast of St. Luke. In the same year he returned to Andrea's workshop, as his father had been widowed a second time and married a third time. In 1480 Leonardo da Vinci had his own workshop. The first pictorial work of Leonardo, now known, is the image of an angel in the painting "The Baptism of Christ" (Florence, Uffizi). Until recently, the painting was considered (based on the report Vasari) by the work of Verrocchio, who allegedly, having seen how much the student surpassed him in skill, abandoned painting.

Baptism of Christ. A painting by Verrocchio, painted by him with his students. The right of the two angels is the work of Leonardo da Vinci. 1472-1475

However, an analysis carried out by the Uffizi staff showed that the work was done collectively by three or even four artists in accordance with the traditions of medieval workshops. Obviously, the main role among them was played by Botticelli. The belonging of the figure of the left angel by Leonardo is beyond doubt. He also painted part of the landscape - behind the back of the angel at the edge of the composition.

The absence of documentary evidence, signatures and dates on the paintings makes it very difficult to attribute them. By the beginning of the 1470s, two "Annunciations" are attributed, which, judging by the horizontally elongated format, are altar predella. The one that is stored in the Uffizi collection is included in a number of the few early works of Leonardo da Vinci. His rather dry execution and the types of faces of Mary and the angel are reminiscent of the works of Lorenzo di Credi, Leonardo's comrade in Verrocchio's workshop.

Painting by Leonardo da Vinci "The Annunciation", 1472-1475. Uffizi Gallery

The "Annunciation" from the Louvre, solved in a more generalized manner, is currently attributed to the works of Lorenzo.

Leonardo da Vinci. Annunciation, 1478-1482. Louvre Museum

The first dated work of Leonardo da Vinci is a pen drawing representing a landscape with a river valley and rocks, possibly the view along the road from Vinci to Pistoia (Florence, Uffizi). In the upper left corner of the sheet there is an inscription: "On the day of St. Mary of the Snow August 5, 1473." This inscription - the first known example of Leonardo da Vinci's handwriting - was made with the left hand, from right to left, as if in a mirror image.

Leonardo da Vinci. Landscape with a river valley and rocks, made on the day of St. Mary of the Snow 5 August 1473

Numerous drawings of a technical nature also belong to the 1470s - images of military vehicles, hydraulic structures, spinning machines and for finishing cloth. It is possible that Leonardo da Vinci carried out technical projects for Lorenzo de' Medici, to whom, according to the master's biography (written by an unknown author, apparently shortly after Leonardo's death), he was close for some time.

Leonardo da Vinci received his first major order for a painting thanks to his father's petition. December 24, 1477 Piero Pollaiolo was commissioned to write a new altar (instead of the work of Bernardo Daddi) for the chapel of St. Bernard in the Palazzo Vecchio. But already a week later, a decree of the Signoria appeared (dated January 1, 1478), according to which the work was transferred "to cancel any other order made so far in any way, whatever it was, and to anyone, Leonardo , son of Sir [notary] Piero da Vinci, painter. Apparently, Leonardo needed money, and already on March 16, 1478, he turned to the Florentine government with a request for an advance. He was paid 25 gold florins. The work, however, progressed so slowly that it was not completed by the time Leonardo da Vinci left for Milan (1482) and was handed over to another master the following year. The plot of this work is unknown. The second order, which was provided by Leonardo Ser Piero, was the execution of an altarpiece for the church of the monastery of San Donato a Scopeto. On March 18, 1481, he concluded an agreement with his son, specifying the exact time for completion of the work (in twenty-four, at most thirty months) and indicating that Leonardo would not receive an advance, and if he did not meet the deadline, then everything that would be done by him, will become the property of the monastery. However, history repeated itself, and in July 1481 the artist turned to the monks with a request for an advance, received it, and then twice more (in August and September) took money on the security of a future work. The large composition "The Adoration of the Magi" (Florence, Uffizi) remained unfinished, but even in this form it is one of "one of those works on which the entire further development of European painting is based" (M. A. Gukovsky). Numerous drawings for it are kept in the collections of the Uffizi, the Louvre and the British Museum. In 1496, the order for the altar was given to Filippino Lippi, and he painted a picture on the same subject (Florence, Uffizi).

Leonardo da Vinci. Adoration of the Magi, 1481-1482

Not completed and "St. Jerome ”(Rome, Vatican Pinakothek), which is an underpainting in which the figure of the penitent saint is worked out with exceptional anatomical accuracy, and some minor details, such as the lion in the foreground, are only outlined.

A special place among the early works of the master is occupied by two completed works - "Portrait of Ginevra d" Amerigo Benchi "(Washington, National Gallery) and" Madonna with a Flower "(St. complex spiritual life, mark the first manifestations of a psychological portrait in European art.The picture has not been completely preserved: its lower part with the image of hands has been cut off.Apparently, the position of the figure resembled the Mona Lisa.

Leonardo da Vinci. Portrait of Ginevra de Benci, 1474-1478

The dating of the "Madonna with a Flower, or the Benois Madonna" (1478-1480) was adopted on the basis of a note on one of the sheets from the Cabinet of Drawings in the Uffizi: "...bre 1478 inchomincial le due Vergini Marie". The composition of this painting is recognizable in a pen and bistre drawing kept in the British Museum (No. 1860. 6. 16. 100v.). Executed in a new for Italy technique of oil painting, the picture is distinguished by the transparent lightness of the shadows and the richness of color shades, with an overall restrained color scheme. An unusually important role in creating a holistic impression, connecting the characters with their environment, here begins to play the transfer of the air environment. Melting chiaroscuro, sfumato, makes the boundaries of objects imperceptibly unsteady, expressing the material unity of the visible world.

Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna with a flower (Madonna Benois). OK. 1478

Another early work by Leonardo da Vinci is the Madonna with a Carnation (Munich, Alte Pinakothek). Perhaps this work preceded the appearance of the Benois Madonna.

Vasari reports that in his youth, Leonardo da Vinci made from clay "several heads of laughing women", from which plaster castings were made even in his time, as well as several children's heads. He also mentions how Leonardo depicted a monster on a wooden shield, “very disgusting and terrible, which poisoned with its breath and ignited the air.” The description of the process of its creation reveals the system of work of Leonardo da Vinci - a method in which creativity is based on observation of nature, but not with the aim of copying it, but in order to create something new on its basis. Leonardo acted in a similar way later, when painting the painting “Head of Medusa” (not preserved). Executed in oil on canvas, it remained unfinished in the middle of the 16th century. was in the collection of Duke Cosimo de' Medici.

In the so-called Codex Atlanticus (Milan, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana), the largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci's notes on various fields of knowledge, on page 204 there is a draft letter from the artist to the ruler of Milan, Lodovico Sforza ( Lodovico Moreau). Leonardo offers his services as a military engineer, hydraulic engineer, sculptor. In the latter case, we are talking about the creation of a grandiose equestrian monument to Francesco Sforza, the father of Lodovico. Since Moro visited Florence in April 1478, there is an assumption that even then he met Leonardo da Vinci and negotiated to work on The Horse. In 1482, with the permission of Lorenzo Medici, the master left for Milan. A list of things that he took with him has been preserved - among them many drawings and two paintings are mentioned: “The completed Madonna. The other is almost in profile. Obviously, they meant Madonna Litta (St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum). It is believed that the master finished it already in Milan around 1490. A beautiful preparatory drawing for it - the image of a woman's head - is kept in the Louvre collection (No. 2376). An active interest in this work on the part of researchers arose after its acquisition by the Imperial Hermitage (1865) from the collection of Duke Antonio Litta in Milan. The authorship of Leonardo da Vinci has been repeatedly denied, but now, after research and exhibitions of the painting in Rome and Venice (2003-2004), it has become generally recognized.

Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Litta. OK. 1491-91

There are several more portraits executed with the inherent elegance of Leonardo, but compositionally they are solved more simply and do not have that spiritual mobility that makes the image of Cecilia fascinating. These are the "Portrait of a Woman" in profile (Milan, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana), the "Portrait of a Musician" (1485, ibid.) - possibly by Francino Gaffurio, regent of the Milan Cathedral and composer - and the so-called "Bella Feroniera" (portrait of Lucrezia Crivelli?) from the Louvre collection.

Leonardo da Vinci. Portrait of a musician, 1485-1490

On behalf of Lodovico Moro, Leonardo da Vinci performed for Emperor Maximilian the picture "Nativity", about which an anonymous biographer writes that she was "revered by connoisseurs as a masterpiece of one of a kind and amazing art." Her fate is unknown.

Leonardo da Vinci. Bella Ferroniera (Beautiful Ferroniera). OK. 1490

The largest painting by Leonardo, created in Milan, was the famous Last Supper, painted on the end wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Leonardo da Vinci began the direct execution of the composition in 1496. This was preceded by a long period of reflection. The collections of Windsor and the Venice Academy contain numerous drawings, sketches, sketches related to this work, among which the heads of the apostles are especially distinguished by their expressiveness. It is not known exactly when the master completed the work. It is usually believed that this happened in the winter of 1497, but a note sent by Moro to his secretary Marchesino Stange and related to this year says: "Ask Leonardo to finish his work in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie." Luca Pacioli reports that Leonardo completed the painting in 1498. As soon as the picture saw the light, painters began to pilgrimage to it, who more or less successfully copied it. “There are paintings, frescoes, graphic, mosaic versions, as well as carpets that repeat the composition of Leonardo da Vinci” (T.K. Kustodieva). The earliest of them are kept in the collections of the Louvre (Marco d'Oggiono?) and the Hermitage (No. 2036).

Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper, 1498

The composition of The Last Supper in its "airy volume" seems to be a continuation of the refectory hall. To achieve this effect, the master allowed an excellent knowledge of perspective. The gospel scene appears here “close to the viewer, humanly understandable and at the same time not losing either its high solemnity or its deep drama” (M. A. Gukovsky). The glory of a great work, however, could not save The Last Supper either from the destruction of time or from the barbaric attitude of people. Due to the dampness of the walls, the paints began to fade already during the life of Leonardo da Vinci, and in 1560 Lomazzo in his Treatise on Painting reported, although somewhat exaggerating, that the painting had "completely collapsed." In 1652, the monks enlarged the door of the refectory and destroyed the image of the feet of Christ and the apostles next to Him. The artists also contributed their share of destruction. So, in 1726, a certain Belotti, “who claimed to have the secret to revive colors” (G. Seil), rewrote the entire picture. In 1796, when Napoleon's troops entered Milan, a stable was set up in the refectory, and the soldiers had fun throwing fragments of bricks at the heads of the apostles. In the 19th century The Last Supper was renovated several times, and during the Second World War, during the bombing of Milan by British aircraft, the side wall of the refectory collapsed. Restoration work, which began after the war and consisted of strengthening and partial cleaning of the painting, was completed in 1954. After more than twenty years (1978), the restorers began a grandiose activity to remove late layers, which was completed only in 1999. Several centuries later, you can again see bright and clean colors of genuine master painting.

Obviously, immediately after his arrival in Milan, Leonardo da Vinci turned to the project of the monument to Francesco Sforza. Numerous sketches testify to changes in the idea of ​​the master, who at first wanted to present the horse rearing up (in all the equestrian monuments that existed then, the horse was shown calmly walking). Such a composition, despite the huge size of the sculpture (about 6 m high; according to other sources - about 8 m), created almost insurmountable difficulties in casting. The solution to the problem dragged on, and Moreau instructed the Florentine ambassador in Milan to write another sculptor from Florence, which he reported Lorenzo Medici in a letter dated July 22, 1489. Leonardo had to come to grips with The Horse. However, in the summer of 1490, work on the monument was interrupted by the trip of Leonardo and Francesco di George Martini to Pavia to give advice on the construction of the cathedral. In early September, preparations began for the wedding of Lodovico, and then the master carried out numerous assignments for the new ruler, Beatrice. At the beginning of 1493, Lodovico ordered Leonardo to speed up the work in order to show the statue during the next wedding celebrations: Emperor Maximilian married Moro's niece, Bianca Maria. The clay model of the statue - "The Great Colossus" - was completed on time, by November 1493. The master abandoned the original idea and showed the horse walking calmly. Only a few sketches give an idea of ​​this final version of the monument. It was technically impossible to cast the entire sculpture at once, so the master began experimental work. In addition, about eighty tons of bronze were required, which they managed to collect only by 1497. All of it went to cannons: Milan was expecting an invasion by the troops of the French king Louis XII. In 1498, when the political situation of the duchy had temporarily improved, Lodovico commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint the hall in the Castello Sforzesco - Hall delle Acce, and on April 26, 1499 signed a donation for a vineyard in the vicinity of Milan. This was the last favor rendered by the duke to the artist. On August 10, 1499, French troops entered the territory of the Duchy of Milan; on August 31, Lodovico fled the city; on September 3, Milan surrendered. The Gascon archers of Louis XII destroyed the clay statue while competing in crossbow shooting. Apparently, even after that, the monument made a strong impression, since two years later the Duke of Ferrara Ercole I d "Este negotiated its acquisition. The further fate of the monument is unknown.

For some time, Leonardo da Vinci remained in the occupied city, and then, together with Luca Pacioli, went to Mantua to the court of Isabella Gonzaga. For political reasons (Isabella was the sister of Beatrice, Moreau's wife, who had died by that time - in 1497), the margravine did not want to patronize the artist. However, she wanted Leonardo da Vinci to paint her portrait. Without stopping in Mantua, Leonardo and Pacioli went to Venice. In March 1500, the musical instrument maker Lorenzo Gusnasco da Pavia wrote to Isabella: "Here in Venice is Leonardo Vinci, who showed me a contour portrait of Your Grace, which is as well executed according to nature as possible." Obviously, it was a drawing currently stored in the Louvre. The master never executed a picturesque portrait. In April 1500, Leonardo and Pacioli were already in Florence. In this brief - just over two years - quiet period of Leonardo da Vinci's life, he was mainly engaged in technical research (in particular, the project of an aircraft) and, at the request of the Florentine government, took part in an examination to identify the reasons for the settlement of the Church of San Salvatore on the hill of San Miniato. According to Vasari, while Filippino Lippi received an order for an altarpiece for the church of Santissima Annunziata. Leonardo "declared that he would gladly do such a job", and Filippino graciously gave him the order. The idea of ​​the painting "Saint Anna", apparently, came to Leonardo da Vinci back in Milan. There are numerous drawings of this composition, as well as magnificent cardboard (London, National Gallery), but it did not form the basis of the final solution. Exhibited by the master after Easter in 1501 for public viewing, the cardboard has not survived, but, judging by the documents that have survived to this day, it was his composition that was repeated by the master in the well-known painting from the Louvre. So, on April 3, 1501, the vicar general of the Carmelites, Pietro da Nuvolario, who was in correspondence with Isabella Gonzaga, informed her, describing in detail the composition of the cardboard, that, in his opinion, the image of St. Anna is embodied by the Church, which does not desire "that His sufferings be turned away from Christ." When exactly the altar painting was completed is unclear. Perhaps the master finished it in Italy, where it was acquired by Francis I, according to Paolo Giovio, without specifying, however, when and from whom. In any case, the customers did not receive it and in 1503 they again turned to Filippino, but he did not satisfy their desires either.

At the end of July 1502, Leonardo da Vinci entered the service of Cesare Borgia, son Pope AlexanderVI, which by this time, seeking to create its own possessions, captured almost all of Central Italy. As chief military engineer, Leonardo traveled around Umbria, Tuscany, Romagna, drawing up plans for fortresses and advising local engineers on improving the defense system, creating maps for military needs. However, already in March 1503 he was again in Florence.

By the beginning of the first decade of the XVI century. includes the creation of the most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci - the portrait of Mona Lisa - "La Gioconda" (Paris, Louvre), a painting that has no equal in the number of interpretations and disputes it caused. The portrait of the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo combines the amazing concreteness of reality with such spiritual ambiguity and generalization of the universal that it outgrows the boundaries of the genre, ceases to be a portrait in the proper sense of the word. “This is not a mysterious woman, this is a mysterious being” (Leonardo. M. Batkin). Already the first description of the painting given by Vasari is contradictory, who assures that Leonardo da Vinci worked on it for four years and did not finish it, but immediately writes admiringly that the portrait “reproduces all the smallest details that the subtlety of painting can convey.”

Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa (La Gioconda), ca. 1503-1505

Another painting created by Leonardo da Vinci during these years, Madonna with a Spindle, is described in detail by Pietro da Nuvolario in a letter to Isabella Gonzaga dated April 4, 1503. The vicar reports that the artist completed it for the secretary of Louis XII. The fate of the painting is unknown. A good copy of the 16th century gives an idea of ​​it. (collection of the Duke of Bucclew in Scotland).

In the same period, Leonardo returns to anatomy, which he began in Milan in the building of the Grand Hospital. In Florence, physicians and university students, with special permission from the government, worked on the premises of Santa Croce. The treatise on anatomy, which the master was going to compile, was not implemented.

In the autumn of 1503, through the permanent gonfalonier Pietro Soderini, Leonardo da Vinci received an order for a large painting work - painting one of the walls of the new hall - the Council Hall, attached in 1496 to the Palazzo della Signoria. On October 24, the artist was given the keys to the so-called Pontifical Hall of the Santa Maria Novella Monastery, where he began work on cardboard. By order of the Signoria, he received an advance of 53 gold florins and permission to receive "from time to time" small amounts. The completion date was February 1505. The theme of the future work was the Battle of Anghiari (June 29, 1440) between the Florentines and the Milanese. In August 1504, Michelangelo received an order for a second painting for the Council Hall - The Battle of Kashin. Both masters completed the work on time, and the cardboards were displayed to the public in the Council Chamber. They made a tremendous impression; artists immediately began to copy them, but it was impossible to determine the winner in this unique competition. Both cardboards have not been preserved. The central part of the composition of Leonardo da Vinci was the scene of the battle for the banner. It is only about her that one can now get some idea thanks to a drawing by Raphael (Oxford, Christ Church Library), executed by him in 1505-1506, as well as a copy by Rubens (Paris, Louvre). However, it is not known from what exactly Rubens, who lived in Italy in 1600-1608, made his copy. An anonymous biographer of Leonardo da Vinci reports that after the death of the master in the hospital of Santa Maria Novella, one could see most of the cardboard "Battle of Anghiari", and "the group of horsemen remaining in the palazzo" also belonged to it. In 1558 Benvenuto Cellini in his "Biography" he writes that the cardboards hung in the Papal Hall and, "as long as they were intact, they were a school for the whole world." From this we can conclude that in the 1550s Leonardo's cardboard, at least as a whole, no longer existed.

Leonardo da Vinci. Battle of Anghiari, 1503-1505 (detail)

Contrary to custom, Leonardo completed the painting on the wall of the Council Hall quickly. According to an anonymous source, he worked on a new soil of his own invention and used the heat of braziers to dry it as soon as possible. However, the wall dried unevenly, its upper part did not hold paint, and the painting turned out to be hopelessly damaged. Soderini demanded completion of the work or a refund. The situation was temporarily resolved by leaving for Milan, at the invitation of his viceroy Charles d'Amboise, the Marquis de Chaumont. The artist entered into an agreement with the Signoria, under which he undertook to return in three months, and in case of violation of the obligation to pay a penalty of 150 gold florins. June 1 1506 Leonardo da Vinci went to Milan. In a letter dated August 18, Charles d'Amboise asks the Florentine government to leave the artist for some more time at his disposal. In a response letter (dated August 28), consent was given, but with the condition of repayment of the debt. Since the money was not sent, Soderini on October 9 again appeals to the viceroy demanding compliance with the agreement. Finally, on January 12, 1507, the Florentine ambassador to the French court informs the members of the Signoria that Louis XII wishes to leave Leonardo in Milan before his arrival. Two days later, the king himself signed a letter of the same content. In April 1507, Leonardo got his vineyard back and in early May was able to pay 150 florins. The king arrived in Milan on May 24: Leonardo da Vinci took an active part in organizing processions and performances on this occasion. Thanks to the intervention of Louis, on August 24, the long-term process due to the "Madonna in the Rocks" ended. The picture remained at the disposal of the master, but he, together with Ambrogio de Predis (Evangelista had died by this time), had to perform another one on the same subject within two years (London, National Gallery).

From September 1507 to September 1508, Leonardo da Vinci was in Florence: it was necessary to litigate because of the inheritance. The aged Ser Piero, Leonardo's father, died back in 1504 at the age of ninety, leaving ten sons and two daughters.

Saint Anne with the Madonna and the Christ Child. Painting by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1510

In Milan, Leonardo da Vinci finished Saint Anna and performed several more paintings, the most famous of which is John the Baptist (Paris, Louvre). Currently, the Bacchus stored there is also recognized as the work of Leonardo.

Leonardo da Vinci. John the Baptist, 1513-1516

Leda was also in the French royal collection. The painting was last mentioned in the inventory of Fontainebleau in 1694. According to legend, it was destroyed at the request of Madame de Maintenon, the last mistress of Louis XIV. An idea of ​​​​its composition is given by several drawings of the master and several repetitions differing in detail (the best is attributed to Cesare da Sesto and is kept in the Uffizi).

Leda. Work tentatively attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, 1508-1515

In addition to paintings, Leonardo da Vinci was in Milan designing a monument to Marshal Trivulzio, who was in the French service. A small bronze model in the collection of the Budapest Museum is believed to be associated with this project. If so, then Leonardo da Vinci returned to the idea of ​​a dynamic composition with a galloping horse.

In 1511 troops Pope JuliusII in alliance with the Venetian Republic and Spain expelled the French. During 1511-1512, Leonardo lived for a long time with his friend, the nobleman Girolamo Melzi, on his estate in Vaprio. Girolamo's son, Francesco, became a student and passionate admirer of the aging master. In 1513, Leo X of the Medici was elected to the papacy, with his brother, Giuliano, who was interested in alchemy, Leonardo da Vinci was friendly. September 14, 1513 Leonardo left for Rome. Giuliano appointed him a salary and assigned premises for work. In Rome, the master drew up projects for the refurbishment of the papal mint and the drainage of the Pontic marshes. Vasari noted that Leonardo da Vinci executed two paintings for the papal datarius (chief of the office) Baldassare Turini from Pescia - “Madonna” and the image of “a baby of amazing beauty and grace” (not traced).

On December 31, 1514, Louis XII died, and Francis I, who succeeded him, retook Milan in September 1515. It is believed that Leonardo met with the king in Bologna, where the pope negotiated with him. But, perhaps, the artist had seen him before - in Pavia, at the celebrations in honor of his entry into the city, and at the same time he made the famous mechanical lion, from the opening chest of which lilies spilled out. In this case, in Bologna, Leonardo da Vinci was in the retinue of Francis, and not Leo X. Having received an offer to go to the service of the king, the master in the fall of 1516, together with Francesco Melzi, left for France. The last years of Leonardo da Vinci's life were spent in the small castle of Cloux, not far from Amboise. He was given a pension of 700 ecu. In the spring of 1517, in Amboise, where the king liked to visit, they celebrated the baptism of the Dauphin, and then the wedding of the Duke of Urbino, Lorenzo Medici, and the daughter of the Duke of Bourbon. The celebrations were designed by Leonardo. In addition, he was engaged in the design of canals and locks to improve the area, created architectural projects, in particular the project for the reconstruction of the Romorantin castle. Perhaps the ideas of Leonardo da Vinci served as the basis for the construction of Chambord (begun in 1519). October 18, 1516 Leonardo visited the secretary of Cardinal Louis of Aragon. According to him, due to paralysis of his right hand, the artist "can no longer write with his usual tenderness ... but he can still make drawings and teach others." On April 23, 1519, the artist made a will, according to which manuscripts, drawings and paintings became the property of Melzi. The master died on May 2, 1519, according to legend - in the hands of the king of France. Melzi transported the manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci to Italy and kept them until the end of his days in his estate in Vaprio. The now widely known "Treatise on Painting", which had a huge impact on European art, was compiled by Melzi on the basis of the teacher's notes. About seven thousand sheets of manuscripts by Leonardo da Vinci have been preserved. Their largest collections are in the collection of the Institute of France in Paris; in Milan, in the Ambrosian Library (Codex Atlanticus) and in the Castello Sforzesco (Codex Trivulzio); in Turin (Bird Flight Code); Windsor and Madrid. Their publication began in the 19th century. and still one of the best critical editions of Leonardo's manuscripts are two volumes of texts with comments, published by Richter in 1883 (Richter J. P. The literary works of Leonardo da Vinci. London, 1883. Vol. 1-2). Supplemented and commented by C. Pedretti, they were reprinted in Los Angeles in 1977.

Literature:Leonardo da Vinci. Book about painting. M., 1934; Leonardo da Vinci. Selected works. L., 1935; Leonardo da Vinci. Anatomy. Ideas and drawings. M., 1965; Vasari 2001. Vol. 3; Sayle G. Leonardo da Vinci as an artist and scientist. SPb., 1898; Volynsky A. The life of Leonardo da Vinci. SPb., 1900 (reissued: SPb., 1997); Benois A.N. The history of painting of all times and peoples. SPb., 1912; Wrangell N. Benois Madonna by Leonardo da Vinci. SPb., 1914; Lipgart E.K. Leonardo and his school. L., 1928; Dzhivelegov A.K. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1935 (reprinted: M., 1969); Lazarev V. N. Leonardo da Vinci. L., 1936; Ainalov D.V. Sketches about Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1939; Gukovsky M. A. The mechanics of Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1947; Lazarev V. N. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1952; Alpatov M.V. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1952; Gabrichevsky A. G. Leonardo the architect // Soviet architecture. M., 1952. Issue. 3; Zhdanov D. A. Leonardo da Vinci is an anatomist. L., 1955; Gukovsky M. A. Leonardo da Vinci: A Creative Biography. M.; L., 1958; Gukovsky M. A. Madonna Litta: Painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Hermitage. L.; M., 1959; Guber A. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1960; Zubov V.P. Leonardo da Vinci. 1452-1519. M., 1961; Gukovsky M. A. Columbine. L., 1963; Rutenburg V.I. Titans of the Renaissance. L., 1976; Vipper 1977. Vol. 2; Nardini B. The life of Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1978; Kustodieva T. K. Benois Madonna by Leonardo da Vinci. L., 1979; Zhepinska M. What do we know about the "Lady with an Ermine" from the Czartoryski Museum. Krakow, 1980; Gastev A. A. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1982; Code of Leonardo from the private collection of Armand Hammer: Ex. L., 1984; Pedretti K. Leonardo. M., 1986; Smirnova I. A. Monumental painting of the Italian Renaissance. M., 1987; Batkin L. M. Leonardo da Vinci and features of the Renaissance creative thinking. M., 1990; Santi B. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1995; Wallace R. The World of Leonardo, 1452-1519. M., 1997; Kustodieva 1998; Chunky M. Leonardo da Vinci. M., 1998; Sonina T.V. Benois Madonna by Leonardo da Vinci // Italian collection. SPb., 1999. Issue. 3; Sonina T.V."Madonna in the Rocks" by Leonardo da Vinci: The Semantics of the Image // Decree. op. SPb., 2003. Issue. 7; Leonardo da Vinci and the culture of the Renaissance: Sat. Art. M., 2004; Hertzfeld M. About one sheet of sketches by Leonardo. Contribution to the characterization of the image of the master // Italian collection. SPb., 2006. Issue. 9; Clark K. Leonardo da Vinci: A Creative Biography. SPb., 2009.

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Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most talented and mysterious people of the Renaissance. The Creator left behind a lot of inventions, paintings and secrets, many of which remain undiscovered to this day. Da Vinci is called a polymath, or "universal man." After all, he reached heights in almost all areas of science and art. In this article, you will learn the most interesting things from the life of this man.

Biography

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the settlement of Anchiano in the Utuscan town of Vinci. The parents of the future genius were the lawyer Piero, 25 years old, and the peasant orphan Katerina, 15 years old. However, Leonardo, like his father, did not have a last name: da Vinci means "from Vinci."

Until the age of 3, the boy lived with his mother. The father soon married a noble but barren lady. As a result, 3-year-old Leonardo was taken to be raised in a new family, forever separated from his mother.

Pierre da Vinci gave his son a comprehensive education and more than once tried to introduce him to the notarial business, but the boy did not show any interest in the profession. It is worth noting that during the Renaissance, illegitimate births were considered equal to legitimate ones. Therefore, even after the death of his father, Leonardo was helped by many noble people of Florence and the town of Vinci itself.

Workshop of Verrocchio

At the age of 14, Leonardo became an apprentice in the studio of the painter Andrea del Verrocchio. There, the teenager drew, sculpted, learned the basics of the humanities and technical sciences. 6 years later, Leonardo qualified as a master and was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke, where he continued to study the basics of drawing and other significant disciplines.

The case of Leonardo's victory over a teacher has gone down in history. While working on the canvas "The Baptism of Christ", Verrocchio asked Leonardo to draw an angel. The student created an image that was many times more beautiful than the whole picture. As a result, the amazed Verrochio left painting for the whole.

1472–1516

1472–1513 years are considered the most fruitful in the life of the artist. After all, it was then that polymath created his most famous creations.

In 1476–1481 Leonardo da Vinci had a private workshop in Florence. In 1480, the artist became famous and began to receive fabulously expensive orders.

1482–1499 da Vinci spent years in Milan. The genius arrived in the city as a messenger of peace. The head of Milan - the Duke of Moreau - often ordered da Vinci various inventions for wars and for the fun of the court. In addition, in Milan, Leonardo da Vinci began to keep a diary. Thanks to personal notes, the world learned about many discoveries and inventions of the creator, about his passion for music.

Due to the French invasion of Milan, in 1499 year the artist returned to Florence. In the city, the scientist served the Duke of Cesare Borgia. On his instructions, da Vinci often visited Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria. There, the master was engaged in reconnaissance and prepared the battlefields. After all, Cesare Borgia wanted to capture the Papal States. The whole Christian world considered the duke a fiend, and da Vinci respected him for his perseverance and talent.

In 1506 Leonardo da Vinci returned to Milan, where he studied anatomy and the study of the structure of organs with the support of the Medici family. In 1512, the scientist moved to Rome, where he worked under the patronage of Pope Leo X until the latter's death.

In 1516 Leonardo da Vinci became a court adviser to the King of France, Francis I. The ruler allocated Clos Luce Castle to the artist and gave him complete freedom of action. In addition to an annual fee of 1000 ECUs, the scientist received an estate with vineyards. Da Vinci noted that the French years gave him a comfortable old age and were the most calm and happy in life.

Death and grave

Leonardo da Vinci's life ended on May 2, 1519, presumably from a stroke. However, the signs of the disease appeared long before that. The artist could not move his right hand due to partial paralysis since 1517, and shortly before his death, he completely lost the ability to walk. The maestro bequeathed all his property to his students.

Da Vinci's first tomb was destroyed during the Huguenot wars. The remains of various people were mixed and buried in the garden. Later, the archaeologist Arsene Usse identified the artist's skeleton from the description and transferred it to a restored grave on the territory of the Amboise castle.

In 2010, a group of scientists intended to exhume the body and conduct a DNA examination. For comparison, it was planned to take the material of the buried relatives of the artist. However, the owners of the castle Watermelon did not allow the exhumation of da Vinci.

Secrets of personal life

Personal life Leonardo da Vinci kept them in the strictest confidence. The artist described all love events in his diary using a special cipher. Scientists put forward 3 opposite versions regarding the personal life of a genius:

Secrets in the life of da Vinci

In 1950, the list of Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion, a Jerusalem order of monks founded in the 11th century, was made public. According to the list, Leonardo da Vinci was a member of a secret organization.

A number of researchers believe that the artist was its leader at all. The main task of the group was to restore the Merovingian dynasty, the direct descendants of Christ, on the throne of France. Another of the group's missions was to keep the marriage of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene a secret.

Historians dispute the existence of the Priory and consider Leonardo's participation in it a hoax. Scientists emphasize that the Priory of Sion was created in 1950 with the participation of Pierre Plantard. According to them, the documents were forged at the same time.

However, few surviving facts can only speak of the caution of the monks of the order and their desire to hide their activities. Da Vinci's style of writing also speaks in favor of the theory. The author wrote from left to right, as if imitating Hebrew writing.

The secret of the Priory formed the basis of Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code. Based on the work in 2006, a film of the same name was shot. The plot talks about the cryptex allegedly invented by da Vinci - a device for encryption. When you try to hack the device, everything written is dissolved by vinegar.

Leonardo da Vinci's predictions

Some historians consider Leonardo da Vinci a seer, others consider him a time traveler who fell into the Middle Ages from the future. So, scientists are wondering how the inventor could create a gas mixture for scuba without knowledge of biochemistry. However, questions are raised not only by da Vinci's inventions, but also by his predictions. Many prophecies have already come true.

So, Leonardo da Vinci described Hitler and Stalin in detail, and also predicted the appearance of:

• missiles;
• phone;
• skype;
• players;
• electronic money;
• loans;
• paid medicine;
• globalization, etc.

In addition, da Vinci painted the end of the world by depicting an atomic one. Among the future cataclysms, scientists describe the failures of the earth's surface, the activation of volcanoes, the flood and the coming of the Antichrist.

inventions

Leonardo da Vinci left the world a lot of useful inventions that became prototypes:

• parachute;
• airplane, hang-glider and helicopter;
• bicycle and car;
• robot;
• eyeglasses;
• telescope;
• spotlights;
• scuba gear and spacesuit;
• life buoy;
• military devices: a tank, a catapult, a machine gun, mobile bridges and a wheel lock.

Among the great inventions of da Vinci, his "Perfect City". After the plague pandemic, the scientist developed a Milan project with a competent layout and sewerage. It was supposed to divide the city into levels for the upper classes and trade, to ensure constant access of water to the houses.

In addition, the master rejected the narrow streets that were a breeding ground for infections, and emphasized the importance of wide squares and roads. However, the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, did not accept the bold scheme. Centuries later, according to an ingenious project, a new city was built up - London.

Leonardo da Vinci also left a mark on anatomy. The scientist was the first to describe the heart as a muscle and tried to create a prosthetic aortic valve. In addition, da Vinci accurately described and depicted the spine, thyroid gland, tooth structure, muscle structure, and the location of internal organs. Thus, the principles of anatomical drawing were created.

The genius also contributed to the development of art by developing blurry drawing technique and chiaroscuro.

Great paintings and their mysteries

Leonardo da Vinci left behind many paintings, frescoes and drawings. However, 6 works were lost, the authorship of another 5 is disputed. The world's most famous 7 creations of Leonardo da Vinci:

1. Da Vinci's first work. The drawing is realistic, accurate and made with light pencil strokes. When looking at the landscape, it seems that you are looking at it from a high point.

2. "Turin self-portrait". The painter created a masterpiece 7 years before his death. The painting is valuable in that it gives the world an idea of ​​what Leonardo da Vinci looked like. However, some art historians believe that this is just a sketch for the Mona Lisa, made from another person.

3. . The drawing was created as an illustration for the book. Da Vinci captured a naked man in 2 positions superimposed on each other. The work is considered both an achievement of art and science. After all, the artist embodied the canonical proportions of the body and the golden ratio. Thus, the drawing emphasizes the natural ideality and mathematical proportionality of a person.

4. . The picture has a religious plot: it is dedicated to the Mother of God (Madonna) and the Christ Child. Despite its small size, the picture is striking in its purity, depth and beauty. But "Madonna Litta" is also shrouded in mystery and raises a lot of questions. Why does a baby have a chick in her arms? Why is the Mother of God's dress ripped open in the chest area? Why is the painting done in dark colors?

5. . The painting was commissioned by the monks, but due to moving to Milan, the artist never completed the work. The canvas depicts Mary with the newborn Jesus and the Magi. According to one version, the 29-year-old Leonardo himself is depicted among the men.

6th masterpiece –

The Last Supper is a fresco depicting the last supper of Christ. The work is no less mysterious and mysterious than the Mona Lisa.
The history of the creation of the canvas is shrouded in mysticism. The artist quickly painted portraits of all the characters in the picture.

However, it was impossible to find prototypes for Jesus Christ and Judas. Once da Vinci noticed a bright and spiritual young man in a church choir. The young man became the prototype of Christ. The search for a model for the drawing of Judas dragged on for years.

Later, da Vinci found the most heinous person in his opinion. The prototype of Judas was a drunkard found in a gutter. Having already completed the picture, Da Vinci learned that Judas and Christ were painted by him from the same person.

Among the mysteries of the Last Supper is Mary Magdalene. Da Vinci depicted her at the right hand of Christ, as a lawful wife. The marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is also indicated by the fact that the contours of their bodies form the letter M - "Matrimonio" (marriage).

7th masterpiece - "Mona Lisa", or "La Gioconda"

"Mona Lisa", or "La Gioconda" is the most famous and mysterious painting by Leonardo da Vinci. To this day, art critics argue who is depicted on the canvas. Among the popular versions: Lisa del Giocondo, Constanza d'Avalos, Pacifica Brandano, Isabella of Aragon, an ordinary Italian, da Vinci himself and even his student Salai in a woman's dress.

In 2005, it was proved that the painting depicts Lisa Gerandini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. This was indicated by the notes of da Vinci's friend Agostino Vespucci. So, both names become understandable: Mona - an abbreviation for the Italian Madonna, my mistress and Gioconda - after the name of Lisa Gerandini's husband.

Among the secrets of the picture is the demonic and at the same time divine smile of the Mona Lisa, which can enchant anyone. When focusing on the lips, it seems that they begin to smile more. It is said that people who look at this detail for a long time go crazy.

Computer research has shown that Mona Lisa's smile simultaneously expresses happiness, anger, fear and disgust. Some scientists are convinced that the effect is caused by the absence of front teeth, eyebrows, or the heroine's pregnancy. Others say that the smile seems to slip away because it is in the low-frequency light range.

The Smith-Kettlewell researcher claims that the smile-changing effect is due to random noises in the human visual system.

The view of the Mona Lisa is also written in a special way. From whatever angle you look at the girl, it seems that she is looking at you.

The technique of writing "Gioconda" is also impressive. The portrait, including the eyes and smile, is a series of golden sections. The face and hands form an isosceles triangle, and some details fit perfectly into the golden rectangle.

Secrets of Da Vinci Paintings: Hidden Messages and Meanings

The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci are shrouded in mysteries, over which hundreds of scientists from all over the world are struggling. In particular, Hugo Conti decided to apply the mirror method. This idea was inspired by da Vinci's prose. The fact is that the author wrote from left to right, and his manuscripts can only be read with the help of a mirror. Conti applied the same approach to reading pictures.

It turned out that the characters in da Vinci's paintings point with their eyes and fingers to the places where a mirror should be placed.

A simple technique reveals hidden images and figures:

1. In the painting "The Virgin and Child, Saint Anna and John the Baptist" discovered a number of demons. According to one version, this is the Devil, according to another, the Old Testament god Yahweh in the papal tiara. It was believed that this god "protects the soul from the vices of the body."

Click to enlarge

2. In the painting "John the Baptist"- "tree of life" with an Indian deity. A number of researchers believe that in this way the artist hid the mysterious painting "Adam and Eve in Paradise." The canvas was often mentioned by da Vinci's contemporaries. For a long time it was believed that "Adam and Eve" is a separate picture.

3. On the "Mona Lisa" and "John the Baptist"- the head of a demon, the Devil or the god Yahweh in a helmet, somewhat similar to the hidden image on the canvas "Our Lady". With this, Conti explains the mystery of the looks in the paintings.

4. On the "Madonna in the Rocks"(“Madonna in the Grotto”) depicts the Virgin Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist and an Angel. But if you bring a mirror to the picture, you can see God and a number of biblical characters.

5. In the painting "The Last Supper" a hidden vessel is revealed in the hands of Jesus Christ. Researchers believe that this is the Holy Grail. In addition, thanks to the mirror, the two apostles become knights.

6. In the painting "Annunciation" angelic, and according to some versions, alien, images are hidden.

Hugo Conti believes that you can find a hidden mystical drawing in every picture. The main thing is to use a mirror for this.

In addition to mirror codes, Mona Lisa also stores secret messages under layers of paint. Graphic designers have noticed that when the canvas is turned on its side, images of a buffalo, a lion, a monkey and a bird become visible. Da Vinci, thus, told the world about the four Essences of man.

Here are some interesting facts about da Vinci:

1. The genius was left-handed. Many scholars explain the master's special style of writing by this. Da Vinci always wrote in a mirror image - from left to right, although he knew how to write with his right hand.
2. The creator was not constant: he quit one job and jumped to another, never returning to the previous one. Moreover, da Vinci moved to completely unrelated areas. For example, from art to anatomy, from literature to engineering.
3. Da Vinci was a talented musician and played the lyre beautifully.
4. The artist was a zealous vegetarian. He not only did not eat animal food, but also did not wear leather and silk things. Da Vinci called people who eat meat "walking graveyards". But this did not prevent the scientist from being the manager at court feasts and creating a new profession - the "assistant" of the cook.
5. Da Vinci's passion for drawing knew no bounds. So, the master spent hours sketching in detail the bodies of the hanged.
6. According to one version, the scientist developed colorless and odorless poisons, as well as glass listening devices for Cesare Borgia.

They say that geniuses are born only when the world is ready to accept them. However, Leonardo da Vinci was way ahead of his time. The bulk of his discoveries and creations were appreciated only centuries later. Da Vinci proved by his own example that the human mind knows no boundaries.

Books were written about the titan of the Renaissance, films were made, monuments were erected in his honor. Minerals, craters on the Moon and asteroids were named after the great scientist. And in 1994 they found a truly beautiful way to perpetuate the memory of a genius.

Breeders have bred a new variety of historical rose, called Rosa Leonardo da Vinci. The plant blooms continuously, does not burn out and does not freeze in the cold, like the memory of the "universal man".

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