Leonardo da Vinci is known all over the world as the painter of ‘Monalisa’, the most famous painting in history.  But he was an astonishingly gifted person.  Not only a great painter, but he was an inventor,  sculptor, military engineer, scientific observer, anatomist, architect, mathematician, flute player and a designer- a ‘Ten-In-One’. Hence, it is most justified to call Leonardo da Vinci   the greatest genius of the world. The many aspects of his talent earned him the title ‘Universal Man’. His head was always bustling with new innovative ideas that he mentioned in his  note books of 7000 pages. 

Born on April 15, 1452 at Vinci of Italy, this universal man was the son of Piero da Vinci, a  notary( lawyer).  Little is known of his  mother Caterina, except that she was a peasant girl. In 1469, his father moved to Florence which was the then  center of Italian Renaissance. From his childhood Leonardo was very much attached to nature and started drawing the birds, animals and other creatures that he observed. He made many drawings of horses viewed from all angles as well as postures like standing, walking, grazing etc. At 14, seeing his painting skill,  his father admitted him in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio, where he received a many sided training. Leonardo remained in Florence till the age of 30, studying and working.

In 1482, he wrote to the Duke of Milan, offering him his professional services. The Duke  engaged him as military engineer in which position he devised numerous equipments ranging from chemical smoke to armoured vehicles and powerful weapons. At Milan, he worked as an architect also. He designed streets, canals, churches, stair cases, stables, brothels, central heating systems and towns.

In 1495, he started working on his famous painting ‘Last Super’ which was completed in 1497. In 1999, Leonardo moved to Venice. The war with Turkey was on. He produced many innovations for sinking  the Turkish fleet, such as mine boats, man ships, submarines and bullet proof vests for their crews. But his ideas were considered too expensive and fanciful to be put into use.

After 1500, Vinci returned to Florence where in 1503 he started work in his famous painting ‘Monalisa’. His master piece painting Monalisa brought him the universal fame as a great artist. Monalisa is the painting of a beautiful lady with an enigmatic smile on her face. It is the portrait of Lisa La Gioconda, the most beautiful woman of that time. She was the wife of an official of Florence famous for her curious smile. It is believed that Monalisa was coming to the great master’s studio for painting her portrait in the afternoon. After three years of hard work, the painting was completed in 1506. After seeing the completed portrait, Vinci was himself fascinated by it. The enigmatic expression has tantalized millions of beholders over the centuries. Now this painting is on display in Louver Museum in France.  After completing the painting,  Leorando da Vinci moved back to Milan where he stayed from 1506 to 1513. There he painted another masterpiece,  ‘The Virgin and Child’.  In 1513, he moved to Rome and the final stage of his life was spent as the guest of King Francois I, who granted a pension to him.

 Da Vinci created many innovative designs of flying machines, both with flapping wings and rotating propellers.  As an anatomist Leonardo da Vinci learnt about the working of the human body by dissecting more than thirty corpses. He also created moulds of organs such as heart ,lungs and the womb. He also made notable contribution in geography and astronomy. He had invented Odometer, wrench and magic lantern. He prepared the models of printing press, Mills and many scientific instruments at a time when nobody had even the remotest idea about these inventions. He constructed a water clock and suggested the use of ball-bearings. To aid the engineers of the day, he designed a crane for lifting heavy building blocks. This great Universal man died in May 2, 1519 at Cloux of France. Da Vinci was undoubtedly a versatile genius the world has ever produced.