Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Master

BIOGRAPHY presents the life story of Leonardo da Vinci. Examining both his personal and professional life, Leonardo da Vinci recounts both the man and the legend. Born at the height of the Renaissance, Leonardo's work in art, engineering, science and anatomy provided a legacy of learning and intellectual advancement that has influenced artists, scholars, and physicians to this day. This BIOGRAPHY would be useful for classes on Renaissance History, Art History, natural science, biology, mathematics and Western Civilization. It is appropriate for high school.

• ambidextrous
• anachronism
• antithesis
• apprentice
• arcane
• archaic
• astounding
• badger
• bolster
• brothel
• buffoon
• charlatan
• chided
• chutzpah
• commissions
• compunction
• consumed
• contradictory
• copulation
• disdain
• dispensed
• diversity
• dogma
• eclipsing
• elite
• embellish
• engender
• enrapture
• esteem
• formidable
• fortification
• fragmentary
• gallows
• ghoulish
• grotesque
• humiliation
• illegitimacy
• inclined
• ingenious
• inherent
• intricate
• intrigued
• luminary
• morose
• notary
• paleontology
• pestilence
• plague
• pomp
• prestigious
• promotion
• roving
• sodomy
• static
• steadfast
• stench
• teeming
• tempestuous
• testament
• vanquished

1. Leonardo is referred to as a “Renaissance man.” What does this term mean and how does it apply to Leonardo?

2. Leonardo’s notebooks are filled with sketches of nature and the human body. How did Leonardo’s fascination with science and nature influence his art? Why was his work so revolutionary?

3. Leonardo’s notebooks are written in a cryptic style from right to left, necessitating a mirror to decipher them. What are some of the probable reasons for his unique writing style?

4. It is speculated that Leonardo was probably a homosexual and, in fact, was tried in Florence for sodomy. How did Leonardo's sexuality affect his work?

5. Although Leonardo is clearly one of the leading, if not the leading talent of the Renaissance, other artists, such as Raphael and Botticelli, enjoyed more success in their lifetimes. Why would artists, such as Raphael and Botticelli, be more successful than Leonardo?

6. Of Leonardo's ideas and creations, which do you think has had the most impact and influence on the world?

1. Research Renaissance Italy and write an essay that explores the relationship between artists and their patrons during the time period. How did these relationships influence and control the type of art and artistic style produced during the Renaissance?

2. Taking one of Leonardo’s creations/ideas that have influenced modern society, create a pictorial representation of the evolution of that creation/idea to its modern form.

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Air Dates

• April 26, 2004