The Life and Art of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo

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The Life and Art of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Geraldine Carlson ART 101: Art Appreciation Instructor: Jonathan Beller November 29, 2012 The Life and Art of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo If we were to come up with a list of the worlds most influential artists of all time, that list would no doubt include two of the most powerful painters of all time, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Leonardo and Michelangelo helped change and shape what we consider fine art today. They influenced many artists and helped define art of the renaissance. There is not one person alive today, who has not heard of or seen one of these artists’s work in one place or another. Their lives and the works of art they have created will stand the test of time and remain a big part of art and what it has become today. Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy, which is near Florence. He was an illegitimate son to a notary from Florence, Ser Piero, and a peasant woman named Caterina. When he was about 15, Leonardo moved to Florence and became an apprentice in the studio of the famous Andrea Del Verrocchio. This apprenticeship would change Leonardo’s life forever. Leonardo’s father arranged this apprenticeship for him because there were very few options available to an illegitimate son. He was not allowed to attend school. Andrea Del Verrocchio took Leonardo under his wing and taught him many things. While working as an apprentice, Leonardo developed his own artistic style that was unique and so unlike the other artists of that time. (O’Connor, 2003) Leonardo was considered to be a “renaissance man” or a “jack of all trades”, because his curiosity led him to study many different subjects. He was a lover of nature, and he would spend a great deal of time outdoors. He filled many notebooks with information that he
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