Did You Know This About Leonardo da Vinci?

10 intriguing facts and trivia in regards to the great artist, Leonardo da Vinci.


I'd very exciting working my way through the book Da Vinci for Dummies (Buy Direct) and thought I’d share some of the intriguing things I’d learned about him.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact # 1: Not just a Prolific Painter
Leonardo left fewer than 30 paintings, which aren’t even all finished. Before you believe that you can do exactly the same whilst still being go down in art history, remember he also left hundreds of drawings, sketches, and pages of notes. His reputation isn’t just based on his painting techniques.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 2: Their own Worst Enemy

Leonardo was both a perfectionist along with a procrastinator. How’s that to get a terrible mix of character traits? It’s considered one reason why he left so few paintings.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 3: Where’s the Sculpture?

There isn't any bits of sculpture that will definitely be caused by Leonardo, although art historians know he learned sculpture when an art apprentice in Verrocchio’s studio. (So make sure to sign your projects!)

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 4: If He Hadn’t Been Illegitimate, He May Not need Been a painter

Leonardo was created from wedlock on 15 April 1452. However , if he hadn’t been, he may not have access to been apprenticed to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio, because he could have more occupations available to him. As it was, being illegitimate, his options were limited. The thing noted for sure about his mother is the fact that her name was Caterina; art historians believe she probably worked in the household of Leonardo’s father, Ser Piero da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 5: Expensive Paper Creates Messy Notebooks

Paper was much more expensive and harder to get their hands on in Leonardo’s day compared to today. Why he earned more intensive usage of it, “filling” nearly all of every page.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 6: A Vegetarian

Unusually for that era by which he lived; Leonardo was obviously a vegetarian, for humanitarian reasons. (Not that this stopped him from dissecting humans to review anatomy also to map out the location where the human soul was, nor from having a job like a designer of military weapons at one stage.)

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 7: The primary Italians to Use Oil Paint

Leonardo was the primary artists in Italy to oil paint as opposed to egg tempera, enjoying the freedom it gave him to rework a painting. He even concocted his or her own recipe for oil paints.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 8: Lover of Experimenting

Leonardo’s great fresco, The final Supper began to deteriorate almost immediately. It is because Leonardo didn’t follow traditional, tried-and-tested fresco techniques of water-based paints applied to wet plaster, but used oil-based paint over a surface that has been a mixture of gesso, pitch, and mastic.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 9: What He Didn’t Invent

Leonardo invented, or drew up plans and sketches for a large number of things. But the telescope wasn’t one. Nor gears, ratchets, pulley systems, or screws; these already existed.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 10: Don’t Call him up Da Vinci

Inspite of the title of Dan Brown’s best-selling who-done-it, The Da Vinci Code, if you must shorten his name, call him Leonardo. Da Vinci just means “from the city of Vinci”.