Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, scientist and engineer. His Last Supper (1495–98) and Mona Lisa (c. 1503–06) are among the most widely acclaimed paintings of the Renaissance. He used his superb intellect, unusual powers of observation, and mastery of the art of drawing to study nature itself. His notebooks reveal a spirit of scientific inquiry and a mechanical inventiveness which mark him as the greatest genius of his times.He made substantial discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, geology, optics, and hydrodynamics. Leonardo da Vinci thoroughly understood the principles of mechanics of his time and contributed in many ways to advancing them. Leonardo was especially intrigued by problems of friction and resistance, and with each of the mechanical elements he presented—such as screw threads, gears, hydraulic jacks, swiveling devices, and transmission gears—drawings took precedence over the written word. Throughout his career he also was intrigued by the mechanical potential of motion. Leonardo is revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualized flying machines, a type of armoured fighting vehicle, concentrated solar power, an adding machine, and the double hull. He is also sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter, and tank. Leonardo was an avid observer of nature. Wherever he probed the phenomena of nature, he recognized the existence of primal mechanical forces that govern the universe. He managed to break down a phenomenon into its component partsyet at the same time preserve the total picture, creating both an analytic and a synthetic vision. Leonardo da Vinci is considered by many historians and scholars as the prime exemplar of the "Renaissance Man" or "Universal Genius". He is regarded as one of the most diversely talented individuals ever to have lived.