| The Italian mastermind of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci was born on
April 15, 1452 in the village of Vinci, which became his last name.
The little boy who was born and raised as an illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant woman, was destined to become one of the greatest people in history: painter, engineer, sculptor, scientist, mathematician, inventor, philosopher and writer. Leonardo is often regarded as the "architect of the Renaissance", one of the brightest people that have put together ideas and art to amuse people and advance science. When judged by all skills and talents he had in different areas, he is considered the most diversely talented person in history.
Nonetheless most of us know Da Vinci as a painter. The two mostly known and recognized art pieces in the world belong to Leonardo. They are the Mona Lisa painting and the Last Supper mural painting. The only art work that ever came close to such high fame and recognition by the public is the "Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo. Another most recognized piece of art by Leonardo is his sketch of the "Vitruvian Man".
Despite his public fame as a painter he considered himself a scientist first and only then an artist. His engineering inventions were often ahead of his time, and very few of them were actually constructed during his lifetime. Years and centuries later however the inventions of the parachute, tank, bicycle and even helicopter were the same concepts that Leonardo created. Technological and monetary limitations did not allow these inventions to come to life during his time, but his sketches that survived the test of time prove that he was the grandfather of many modern inventions.
Leonardo was also one of the first people who started a study of anatomy. He had to secretly dissect dead bodies and study the organs at night - a practice highly forbidden by the Catholic Church in those days.
Ironically many of Da Vinci paintings, drawings, and sketches were lost in time before we could ever see them. Only 15 of his paintings survived the test of time and are enjoyed by the public as they were centuries ago. Many of his notebooks, diaries and engineering sketches also survived till our time and will be passed to the future generations.
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April 15th is Tax Day. It is also the birthday of genius Leonardo Da Vinci. The IRS is celebrating DaVinci birthday by making a 1040 form only a genius can complete.
