HOME PAGE   KAT STORE   DVD   MUSIC   KAT NEWS   HOT PHOTOS   ARTICLES   RADIO   GUESTBOOK   KAT BIO   CLASSICAL COMPOSERS   REVIEW COPIES   LINKS   CONTACT KAT		LEONARDO DA VINCI LEONARDO DA VINCI BIOGRAPHY 1452-1519   Da Vinci was a brilliant painter, inventor, musician, engineer, sculptor, architect and scientist. The prototype of the "RENAISSANCE MAN", da Vinci painted the masterpieces "MONA LISA" and "THE LAST SUPPER" and wrote notebooks in his own code of mirror (backwards) writing, which kept his ideas and inventions secret.   Da Vinci was the most versatile genius of the Renaissance period (1400-1600), who painted the masterpieces "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa". He was a brilliant painter, inventor, musician, engineer, sculptor, architect and scientist. Da Vinci wrote secret notebooks in his own code of mirror (backwards) writing, which kept his sketches of airplanes, tanks, helicopters, underwater diving suits, and parachutes a secret. Da Vinci was FAR ahead of his time and his brilliant ideas weren't even realized until centuries later.   Leonardo da Vinci was born on April  15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was the illigitimate son of a Florentine notary and a peasant woman. At 14 years old, da Vinci moved to Florence, Italy with his family to work in the workshop of Verrochio, who was a sculptor and painter. In 1478, when da Vinci was 26 years old, he became an independent master and painted the magnificent "Adoration of the Magi."   In 1482, da Vinci moved to Milan, doing military work for Ludovico Sforza. Between 1490 to 1495, da Vinci worked on many of his secretly coded notebooks, which included his ideas, drawings and inventions.   While in Milan, from 1495 to 1498, da Vinci worked on his masterpiece painting "The Last Supper." In "The Last Supper", da Vinci arranges the 12 apostles in groups of 3, framing Christ, who is alone in the center. Christ announces that one of them will betray him. da Vinci portrays Christ as being calm, while the apostles respond with shock, horror and animated gestures. This brilliant painting is badly damaged, due to da Vinci's own experimentation with the use of oil on dry plaster. There was a restoration to the work in 1999, but still shows damage.   In 1503, da Vinci painted one of the world's most famous portraits, the "Mona Lisa", which is in the Louvre, in Paris, France. This painting is also known as La Gioconda, after the name of the woman's husband. The "Mona Lisa" is technically brilliant and is famous for the subject's mysterious smile.   In 1510, da Vinci painted his well-known "Self Portrait", showing his mastery of anatomy. In 1513, da Vinci went to Rome to work for the Medici pope, Leo X.  At that time, Rome's artistic life was dominated by Michaelangelo and Raphael. When Leo X left Rome, da Vinci left with him and accepted an invitation from Francis I of France to work near Amboise. Da Vinci stayed there, working on natural philosophy and experimental science.   In 1517, da Vinci reportedly had a series of strokes and lost the use of his right arm. On May 2, 1519, da Vinci died in the Castle of Cloux in France, leaving a legacy of masterpiece paintings, genius ideas and brilliant creations and inventions to inspire the world for generations.     The contents of all music, photos, graphics, text and videos are protected by copyright and may not be used or reproduced without prior express written authorization from the publisher.