da Vinci Leonardo

Born in Vinci, in Tuscany, in 1452, he trained in Florence in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio and grew into one of history’s most celebrated artists. Although his fame began with painting, he was also deeply engaged with engineering, anatomy, architecture, and the study of nature, which is why he is so often described as a true Renaissance polymath.

His surviving paintings include some of the best-known works in the world, especially The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. Just as important are his notebooks, where he recorded observations, sketches, designs, and questions about everything from the human body to flight and mechanics.

He spent his later years in France and died in 1519 at Amboise. Centuries later, his legacy remains unusually broad: he is admired not just as a great painter, but as a symbol of curiosity itself.