Leonardo da Vinci

An extremely talented Painter, architect, Musician, sculptor, engineer, and Inventor. What amazes me about this man is that he was able to understand both Science and Art, and that he was talented in both. His paintings are among the most valuable and Recognizable in the world. Leonardo did not use a Palate, but mixed the colors Directly on the canvas, one on top of the other to create his colors and textures. Everybody is familiar with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper but he had a lot of other Paintings that were Awesome in the original sense of the word. Sadly, due mainly to his experimentation with the medium, many of his works did not survive. But among those that did, these are some of my favorites. Madonna Litta http://www.qweas.com/downloads/desktop/screen-savers-art/scr-leonardo-screensaver.jpg has the classic Triangle image formed by Mary holding the baby. The complimentary colors in the clothing and skin and hair color draw your gaze while the Mother and Child keep your a... Read more

Most notable all-around genius of the Renaissance who just also happened to be a painter. His greatest contribution to the visual arts was his Treatise on Painting, which codified certain very useful rules of pictorial composition. His paintings themselves, however, are lacking in that they are short on that elusive element of personality: they are usually overly pious renderings that suggest an airless atmosphere, or very well done, but also quite decorative, genre pieces that display undeniable talent but seem emotionally cold.

Da Vinci may have been the most brilliant man who ever lived (the short list includes Einstein, Aristotle, and Ben Franklin). Art, science, philosophy, inventions, writing -- DaVinci did it. I find Mona Lisa the pinup girl of the 15th century. He was the true Italian Stallion. The Rimbaldi charachter who is featured prominently in Alias is modeled after Leonardo DaVinci.

HE WAS NOT JUST A PAINTER HE WAS A SCIENTIST TO WHEN HE RESEARCHED HUMAN ANANTOMY HE TOOK DEAD PEOPLE OUT OF THE GRAVEYARD TORE THEM UP TO RESEARCH THEM AND THEN BARRIED THEM AGAIN THATS JUST NOT HUMAN LIKE

His art is done very nicely, but the only work that ever got any REAL attention was Mona Lisa! Other than that, I can't name any other of his paintings.

da Vinci is truly the definitive "Renaissance" man, a master of pretty much all he puts his hands to. I concede that maybe the subject matter for his paintings are a little tame, but the technical and artistic prowess are indisputably incredible.

Da Vinci was not only a master of realism but he was a genius in other ereas as well.

I am going to do this based SOLELY on his art; not his mechanical drawings, genius, etc. In "The Lords Supper", da Vinci exhibits great attention to detail, not so much in his stroke, but in what he has chosen to include. The whispering, questioning, and surprise in the faces of the disciples; the arrogance of Judas Iscariot; the loneliness of Jesus, seated with his arms open in welcoming. The folds in the tablecloth, to add the depth and reality, to make us feel that this could be OUR table. The empty, open countryside in the background. "Vitruvian Man", still the definitive image used to show the male baseline of the human form, instantly understandable by any who see it. And, of course, the "Mona Lisa"; by far, my least favorite da Vinci work; but the way he caught her face, and her emotion, so that it still captures the eye of people today. He was truly a master.

It's difficult to just rate Leonardo da Vinci as a "painter," because - as the archetypal Renaissance man - he was a master of so many different forms of art and science. Along with van Gogh, da Vinci strikes me as the most fascinating artist of all time. And how about his inventions? In the late 1400s, this guy was designing things like tanks and hang gliders. If you take away everything but his paintings, da Vinci is still a genius. When you include the rest of his varied accomplishments, he rises to a level of genius reached by few others.

Leonardo is the best and truest example of the Renaissance man and there is certainly no doubt he was a complete genius. I love just looking at his sketches - he had such a gentle touch and thoughtful attention to detail. And what an eclectic, fascinating mind he had!