Leonardo da Vinci (lay-oh-nar-doh da vin-chee) was proficient in just about everything intellectual and cultural—mathematics, physics, anatomy, geology, botany, geography, music, sculpture, architecture, and, of course, painting. Although Leonardo had many ideas, he had difficulty finishing the actual works. A huge bronze equestrian (horseback) statue of Ludovico Sforza was in progress for so long that its patrons wanted to hire two other artists to finish it. Yet what he did accomplish stimulated the world then and is still impressive today.

As a child, Leonardo showed talent for drawing and was apprenticed to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio. He soon rejected both the egg tempera and fresca media that were commonly used then, and he turned to oil. When he worked with oil on canvas, Leonardo created masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and the portrait of Ginevra de' Benci. Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci is most highly regarded today for a mind that was constantly inventing, searching, and trying new ideas. His notebooks fascinate us with ideas for ways to fly, an improvement of Gutenberg's printing press, war machines, plans for domes, anatomical studies, and details of flowers.