Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci[b] (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman,

theorist, engineer, scientist, sculptor and architect.[3] While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he also

became known for his notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany,

cartography, painting, and paleontology. Leonardo’s genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal,[4] and his collective works compose

a contribution to later generations of artists rivaled only by that of his younger contemporary and fellow founder of the High Renaissance, Michelangelo.[3][4]