The great Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most influential artists and thinkers on Western civilization. He conceived of inventions centuries before his time, and revolutionized the discipline and practice of art in his own time. Today his paintings and drawings are among the most priceless in the world.

The modern term "Renaissance man (or woman)" refers to talented people who seem to excel at everything. This certainly applies to da Vinci.

A recently-discovered drawing sold for a world record price of $11.4 million to an anonymous telephone bidder. The drawing, called Horse and Rider, is thought to be one of da Vinci's first works in which he shows an interest in horses. He created the drawing as a study for Adoration of the Magi, considered to be his first great composition.

Your goal in this Web Lesson is to become familiar with the artistry and genius of Leonardo da Vinci.

The Life of Leonardo

Begin this Web Lesson by taking a brief tour of the amazing life of da Vinci at Martin Kausal's Leonardo da Vinci Biography site. Read the introduction and click Start to start your virtual tour. The story begins at da Vinci's birthplace in Anchiano, Italy, near the town of Vinci. You can click any of the photos to see a larger view (then go back). Click Continue at the bottom of every page to move on to the next stage of Leonardo's life. Where did Leonardo study painting, and who taught him? What is his first known drawing?

At the First period in Florence page (Part 2), you will read about the unfinished Adoration of the Magi (Kings). Click the picture to see it in detail, and then go back and look closer at the two studies below it.

Examine >

• Can you find horses in any of these works?
• Name several reasons why da Vinci was such a masterful artist. Name da Vinci's most famous painting.
• What is the "sfumato" technique and where can you see it in da Vinci's work?

Continue on to the Online Streaming Video page where you can watch two short videos, one about the age of Leonardo and Raphael, and the other about a restoration of a da Vinci masterpiece.

Renaissance Man

Time now for some Leonardo da Vinci fun at this Museum of Science, Boston site. Why a museum of science? Because da Vinci was a brilliant scientist and inventor as well as a masterful artist. Leonardo @ the Museum was an exhibit during the summer of 1997, and a few things from the exhibit are still available online.

Begin by clicking Renaissance Man where you can learn more about da Vinci's extraordinary life. You'll find lots of fun details here. For example, Leonardo was a lefty who used to write backwards. He also designed numerous weapons of war, including submarines. Back at the top of this page, click Scientist, Inventor, and Artist to learn even more.

Try it >

Click Exploring Leonardo where you can try any of the activity links at the bottom of the page. Don't miss the Inventor's Workshop where you can explore pages like The Elements of Machines and play Leonardo's Mystery Machinery. Then move on to Leonardo's Perspective where you can learn how da Vinci applied thinking and experimentation to his art. There are some cool multimedia tools at this site that you can experiment with, like Investigating Aerial Perspective and Playing Around with Size and Distance.

• How do these activities help you better appreciate da Vinci's works?

The Drawings of da Vinci

You can see many more da Vinci drawings at a site called The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci from the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.

No reading here; just click any of the 39 thumbnail images to see a larger view of the drawing. Several are very well known, like his self-portrait (32), vitruvian man (37), a few anatomical studies, and several sketches of flying machines.

Critique >

• Which da Vinci drawing is your favorite?
• Which do you think was the most technically challenge to create?
• Which drawing stirs your imagination?

Mona Lisa

See more da Vinci paintings and learn about them at the WebMuseum, Paris site. Read the introduction and remember to click on any images to see them in greater detail. Make sure you read more about La Gioconda, otherwise known as the Portrait of Mona Lisa. This familiar masterpiece, on permanent display at the Louvre museum in Paris, may be the most recognizable painting in the world.

Think >

• What qualities make the La Gioconda a masterpiece?
• What kind of material is it painted on?
• What strange things have happened to this work over the years?