Breve biografia di Leonardo da Vinci

The twelve disciples of Jesus react in different ways. Some look very surprised, while others ask questions or turn towards their friends. Their hands, faces, and bodies show how each man reacts. Jesus stays calm in the centre, but the room around him is full of movement. Leonardo placed the people in small groups, so the scene remains clear even though it is full of action. In this way, the religious painting also shows a human moment of fear, doubt, anger, and love.

Later, a writer described Leonardo at work. He said that Leonardo sometimes painted for hours, while at other times he simply looked at the wall. Leonardo did not use the usual method of painting on wet plaster. Instead, he tried a new method on a dry wall, which allowed him to add more detail and make more changes. Unfortunately, the method did not work well, and the painting soon began to deteriorate. The experiment was partly a failure, but the scene still has a powerful effect on people today.

After his public duties at court, Leonardo often returned to his private notebooks. He sketched machines, faces, storms, plants, horses, buildings, and little jokes. One famous page, now known as Vitruvian Man, shows a man inside both a circle and a square. Leonardo was left-handed and often wrote from right to left. Today, this is known as mirror writing. It was probably a natural habit rather than a secret code. Writing this way may have kept his hand from moving across ink that was still wet.

Leonardo had a special interest in anatomy, the study of the human body. At first, he studied bodies to make his paintings look more lifelike. Later, he began to ask much deeper questions. He examined dead bodies and drew bones, muscles, organs, and the shape of the brain. This was difficult and unpleasant work. The rooms were dim, and there was no way to keep them cool. But his drawings are clear, accurate, and often very beautiful.

Water featured in many of Leonardo’s studies. He observed rivers, rain, waves, and small circles in pools of water. He saw similar shapes that seemed to turn in water, storms, and human hair. He also drew roads on different levels, canals, and cleaner spaces in cities. Perhaps these drawings were part of one complete plan for a city, but we do not know. Most of it remained on paper, but it shows that Leonardo also thought about practical problems.

In 1499, Leonardo suddenly lost his secure job in Milan. A French army took the city, and Ludovico Sforza lost power. Leonardo left with some friends and assistants. He was almost fifty years old, and many of his biggest projects were unfinished or destroyed. He travelled through several Italian cities and looked for a new job. Although he was famous, his future was very uncertain.

In 1502, Leonardo began working for Cesare Borgia, a military leader whom many people feared. Borgia was taking control of several cities in central Italy. Leonardo travelled through these areas and studied roads, walls, rivers, and fortresses. This work allowed him to see war and political power up close. Thanks to that work, he also created some of his best maps. By then, Leonardo could do much more than paint.