Vocabulary Renaissance Humanism Humanist French for rebirth. Period of creativity of new ideas and inspirations. Humanism Idea of emphasizing the abilities and accomplishments of human beings. Humanist A group of people that believed that people were capable of great things.

Leonardo da Vinci Born in 1452 in a town just outside of Florence, Italy. Growing up in his father’s house, da Vinci had access to scholarly texts. He was exposed to the painting culture when he was apprenticed to a renowned workshop. After his apprenticeship, he bounced around working for many different people. Leonardo da Vinci is known as an artist, scientist, and inventor.

Leonardo da Vinci lived near the city of Florence.

Leonardo da Vinci When and where did da Vinci live? Do you know any of his best known accomplishments? Video Clip of Achievements of da Vinci Why is it ironic that Leonardo da Vinci’s artwork has gained so much notoriety?

Leonardo – The Scientist Bridged the gap between medieval methods and modern approaches. He studied anatomy, zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. The thoughtful and thorough observation of things around him, helped fuel his knowledge. He would take the bodies of the deceased and use them for his studies. He had to work fast as there was no formaldehyde. He would put his sketches into a notebook so he could go back and review his work. (Scientific Inquiry)

Anatomical Drawings by da Vinci

Leonardo – The Artist He was very realistic in his art work. He would use what he learned from his scientific inquiry to make his artwork very true to life. The forms that he would paint were not always muscular, but true to what he thought should be the “ideal” human. Some of his major works are the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Leonardo – The Inventor To make a living other than as an artist, he would invent things. Even though he was for peace, he designed different war machines like submarines, missiles, and tanks. He also focused on different construction areas like bridges. He studied liquid, ice and steam which allowed him to develop a type of helicopter.

Michelangelo Video Clip on Michelangelo Click on Part 3: Michelangelo

Michelangelo Lived during the same time as Leonardo da Vinci. He was an architect, sculptor, and painter. Just like Leonardo da Vinci, he tried to capture humans as they really were. As a humanist, he would try to capture personalities in his artwork.

Michelangelo -- Achievements Michelangelo designed Laurentian Library in Florence. He would also finish people’s works that they started like St. Peter’s Basilica. He designed and added the dome. As an artist, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He also created realistic sculptures. One such example is of David, a king of ancient Israel.

Michelangelo designed and worked on the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo’s sculpture of King David

Laurentian Library in Florence, Italy

Closing Question What does it mean to be a Renaissance Man? Do Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo represent Renaissance Men?