Leonardo Da Vinci was remembered as the archetype of "Renaissance man" as well as a universal genius. In our eyes, he was a man of unquenchable curiosity, feverishly imagination and boundless creativity. When he was a child, he often stayed in his grandpa's farmland so that he loved the nature so much. When he was 14 years old, his father encouraged him to learn painting. And at that time he showed his great talent on painting for he was always a brilliant and intelligent boy. During that period, Da Vinci gained many chances to know a set of very famous artists, humanists and scientists, which have done much help to his later career in many fields.
Da Vinci was a legend. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. In all these fields, he had made great achievement.
As a painter, Leonardo's most famous works are Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and Virgin of the Rocks. Mona Lisa is a small portrait created by Da Vinci in the 1500’s, and this painting is quite famous and popular especially for the unique smile on the face of the woman. The mystery of the smile lies in the fact that the artist has subtly shadowed the corners of the mouth and eyes so that the exact nature of the smile can not be determined. And this kind of painting technique is known as chiaroscuro.
The Last Supper is a mural painting. It represents the scene of Jesus and his twelve disciples had the last meal. And the picture just shows the moment when Jesus announces that one of the disciples would betray him. This picture tells such a story and considered to be one of Leonardo’s greatest paintings. The Last Supper uses anatomical theory to describe Christ and the Apostles.
The Last Supper
Along with The Last Supper and Mona Lisa, Virgin of the Rocks was another masterpiece of Da Vinci. Virgin of the Rocks is an oil painting by Leonardo Da Vinci depicts the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. It is said that this painting was commissioned as the high altarpiece for the Church of Santissima Annunziata in Florence. Virgin of the Rocks reveals many symbolic meanings, showing the special feeling of Da Vinci.
The style and technique of painting of Leonardo became the standard for a lot of painters to imitate later. In his old age, Da Vinci spent little time in painting but used the time to study science, physics and anatomy and became very successful. In a word, he is a legend.
