Leonardo+Da+Vinci

=A True Renaissance Man =

= = Leonardo da Vinci was born as Leonardo di Ser Piero on April 15th, 1452. He was born in Vinci, Florence which is in present day Italy. He died at the age of 67 on May 2nd, 1519 in Amboise, Touraine in France. Leonardo spent majority of his life living in his hometown, Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci was most famous for being a painter. Aside from painting he invented many contraptions including a diving suit even though he was an illegitimate child. He even designed a plane, so many years before the Wright brothers could build one. Leonardo's two most famous paintings were the Mona Lisa, and the Last Supper. People of the Renaissance always requested for their portraits to be done by him. He was very prestigious. He was only 15 when he became an art apprentice to the acclaimed Verrochio. Leonardo da Vinci's paintings were so great that the only works of art that even came close to being as good as his were those of his rival, Michelangelo. Leonardo da Vinci greatly influenced people's conception of the arts, and indeed was a man was ahead of his time.

**Going Back in Time: What is the Renaissance? ** ** Andrea White:  **Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! For the first time ever, I, Andrea White, a reporter from the Star News is going back in time!!! You may ask why we should go back in time? How many of you have seen or heard of the legendary Mona Lisa? Well today we are going to meet the very man who painted it! Leonardo da Vinci of course! And to make it extra special, we are going to April 15th, 1510; his 58th birthday!  …(NOISES)… Wow…I’m here in Vinci, Leonardo’s hometown. We are near Florence, about 5 centuries before 2009. The sky is so blue and people’s clothes are so extravagant…Let’s see if I can find Leonardo. ** AW: **Excuse me madam; do you know where I can find a gentleman called Leonardo da Vinci?  ** AW: ** Well ladies and gentlemen, that was an exclusive interview with the one and only Leonardo da Vinci. According to history books Leonardo spent the last 9 years of his life living to the max. Leonardo has affected our lives so much. From inventing the floating tubes small children use in water, to the army tank used for war, he has left his mark on the world. The Star news has made history, and you were a part of it. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your day. This is Andrea White signing off. Back to 2009!
 * Leonardo da Vinci **
 * Introduction: **
 * Script: **
 * Woman: ** Oh, him? Why he is over there in that little house.
 * AW: ** Thank you very much…OH! There he is! Happy birthday Leonardo! It is a great pleasure to be here with you today.
 * Leonardo da Vinci: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Who are you and how do you know me? What is this curious contraption? You are strange. I have never seen anyone like you before!
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Why of course. I am Andrea White, a reporter from the year 2009, and this is a time machine! You are one of the most known artists in the whole world. How do you feel about being appreciated so many years after your time?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> It is quite a shock for me. I never thought that anyone would appreciate my work so much. I mean, I am an artist, and arts, literature, science, philosophy, and many other forms of education are growing in popularity. But still, no one seemed to understand me. I never imagined that people of the “future” would know me.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> So Leonardo, everyone back in my time is so obsessed with you, could you tell a few things about yourself?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Well, I am an illegitimate child.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Would you mind explaining some more?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I’d rather not. It’s quite private.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> In that case, tell me more about life in the Renaissance.
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Well, the word “renaissance” is actually a French word that means rebirth. The Renaissance was the rebirth of discovery, knowledge and arts.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> How did this happen? After all, the Renaissance marks the end of the medieval times, which were very hard to live in.
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> If I am not mistaken, the idea of the Renaissance started in Florence, Italy, my hometown. A poet, Francesco Petrarca, promoted the idea of growth and rebirth, and it spread throughout Europe. It probably started somewhere around the 14thcentury. I do not know when it will end though.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Well, I don’t think the Renaissance really has ended. In many ways, the Renaissance is still going on in the 21stcentury. Not only was it the end of the medieval, but also it was the beginning of the modern era. Leonardo, what do you think are some benefits in the Renaissance compared to the middle ages?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> For a start, the church is more split up, and the Christian religion isn’t so imposing. Overall this era is just full of change. Everything is changing. From religious beliefs, to educational beliefs to daily life, everything is changing for the better. People always listen to what scientists say and believe them without any doubts. Now many of the theories I know are being tested, proved wrong and changed although it is still not very accepted. This has helped me though. I have changed the way people thought about things. People no longer immediately believe whatever the old books state. They actually try things out for themselves. I was also one of the first to systematically map the human body.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Yes, very interesting. So tell me, what was your life like?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I was around 15 years old when I became an apprentice to artist Andrea del Verrocchio in 1469
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> What was your career as an artist like when you were no longer an apprentice?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I worked for the duke of Milan around 1482; I was an engineer, mostly for war machines.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> War machines? Wow, I never imagined you doing something like that. You sure are amazing. What else do you do aside from being a beautiful painter and a great engineer?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I do many things. I love sports, music, inventing, horse riding, being an artist, sword fighting, anatomy, bridge building, architecture, mathematics, history, geology, philosophy, writing fables, drawing maps and astronomy.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> That is amazing! If I could do all that I would be in the Guinness book of world records! Wow! You must have done all these things in your notebooks!
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Notebooks? What notebooks? How did you get to my notebooks?
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I have seen a few of your notebooks, that were published, but back in our time many of them have been destroyed, including your inventions.
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> That is disastrous. My poor books being sold by printing presses! My notebooks contain many of my inventions, including a diving suit, a parachute, a glider and a crossbow. Do you happen to know if they work?
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> We have tested some of your inventions. The diving suit works in shallow waters, the parachute had a rough landing but a smooth ride, the glider was successfully flown but with crashes, and you already knew the crossbow worked. Speaking of inventions, this is probably the greatest era ever. If Renaissance men such as yourself had not invented things such as the flush toilet, the printing press, or quarantine, we may have had many sicknesses that would have killed us, and life would be much harder. Also, if people like Galileo, who lived later in the Renaissance, had not experimented with old theories, scientists in the 21st century would not be able to study the way things work to build machines and create medicines.
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> You future humans sound very well off. You have so many weird mechanisms to do all your work for you. Many people that live now are not so poor anymore. I believe it is called a middle class. They are not rich people, yet at the same time they do not live poorly. Along with this things are always fancy. From the extravagantly intricate clothing, to the elaborate several coursed meals served everyday. Even many of the poorer lot still have servants in this day and age. Also, I find that sending children to school has become more popular. What I strongly disagree with though is that people are marrying for money and not for love. ’Tis a very strict matter.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> We certainly have gotten a detailed glimpse of the lifestyle, but what about your paintings? Most people know you for you most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper, and have no clue that you did anything else. By the way, who is the woman in the Mona Lisa?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Well, I am curious, what do people of your time think?
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Some believe that she is just a lady; others believe she is the female version of you.
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Well then I will let your people figure out the answer. I have a question, what do people say about me in your time?
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> That is easy, everyone talks about you all the time about how creative you are, they say you are one of the greatest minds of all times. Some of your inventions we use today, like the tank. Once, the Mona Lisa was stolen from a museum, and there was a huge uproar, but luckily we got it back. Something truly amazing is that you made plans for airplanes and helicopters 500 years before the Wright Brothers who flew the first plane. How famous are you here in your own time?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I was really famous. I have created wonderful pieces of art. People always wanted me to do their portraits and sculptures. That was before. Now I am older and people like Michelangelo have come along. Many no longer request me. I’m starting to get a bit lonely, getting along in my years. Though a little bit of peace and quiet is nice. I suppose I don’t have much longer to live. Knowing when you die can make you happy, or devastate you. I really do want to know. Would you be able to tell me? I know it is a big favor, but you already know so many other things about me, you surely know this.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> It is April 15th 1510 right now, and you die in the year…are you sure you want me to tell you?
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Absolutely.
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> You die in the year 1519
 * LV: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Nine years from now, I still have a long time to live. Better make the best of it. I’m off to explore the world!
 * AW: **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Goodbye Leonardo!
 * <span style="color: rgb(126, 169, 0); font-family: Arial;">Conclusion: **

=**<span style="color: rgb(138, 8, 75);">Citations: **=
 * 1) Cole, Alison. __The Renaissance__. London: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
 * 2) Elgin, Kathy. __Daily Life__. Minneapolis: Compass Points Books, 2005.
 * 3) Grant, Neil. __The Atlas of the Renaissance World__. Columbus: Peter Bedrick Books, 2003.
 * 4) Lasieur, Allison. __Leonardo da Vinci And The Renaissance In World History__. New Jersey: n.p., 2000.
 * 5) "Leonardo da Vinci." __British Library__. 23 Apr. 2009 [].
 * 6) "Monal Lisa Introduction." __Mona Lisa__. 23 Apr. 2009 [].
 * 7) Quigley, Mary. __The Renaissance__. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2003.
 * 8) Romei, Francesca. __Leonardo da Vinci : artist, inventior, and scientist of the Renaissance__. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 2000.
 * 9) Urcon, Robin. "Life and Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci." __Eyecon Art__. 23 Apr. 2009 [].