Da Vinci, Ahead of His Time

Leonardo Da Vinci was a renaissance man who was thinking ahead of his time. Da Vinci was born illegitimate and never received an education. Even so, Da Vinci was a bright boy who was fascinated by nature, particularly water and flight. When he was a Da Vinci was a young man Da Vinci's father apprenticed him to Verrocchio, a famous painter in Florence. Da Vinci made a impression on Verrocchio by painting an angel in Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ using oil paints, a . Da Vinci went on to be hired by the Medici family in Florence, the Doge in Venice, Milan and even the French invaders. He invented and built anything from bridges and canals to war machines. He was also commissioned by ruling families to produce works of art such as the Last Supper. In his spare time Da Vinci dissected human bodies in secret and copied the information he gained into his notebooks. Some of his sketches are still used today. He also designed the parachute, helicopter and glider in his notebooks hundreds of years before anyone would build them and use them. Leonardo Da Vinci, a true renaissance man, continues to amaze us with his imagination, artistic ability and ingenuity.