Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) Red House
Leonardo was known as the ultimate Renaissance man because he was perhaps the most widely talented person ever to have lived. Da Vinci is a favorite with the children studying art history because of this Renaissance quality – not only was he a consummate painter and sculptor, he was a great inventor, military engineer, scientist, botanist, and mathematician. Leonardo was left to himself quite often, and perhaps this solitude is what we’re still grateful for five centuries later, as he spent his days outdoors studying birds, plants, and nature. Leonardo grew up to be a great artist and a great scientist. He was one of the first artists to draw things exactly as he saw them in nature. His keen sense of observation is what shaped his as the nest painter of all times.