Leonardo da Vinci is often thought of mainly as an artist, with world-famous works like The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But his notebooks, filled with his strange writing, show that his main interests were in engineering and technology.
If his pioneering work on anatomy (解剖学) is also taken into consideration, it is not hard to see why Leonardo is considered to be one of the greatest geniuses of all time.
Born in 1452 to a Florentine lawyer and a local village girl, Leonardo was given only a very basic education. After ten years in the workshop of the artist Verrocchio, he began to work for himself. The work he did shows an unbelievable combination of technical skill and very careful observation.
At the age of thirty, he left his hometown and moved to Milan, where he spent seventeen years working for the Duke of Milan. In fact, his painting was increasingly influenced by his interest in mathematics. During this period, he painted The Last Supper and developed his ideas for chemical weapons (化学武器).
In 1506 he returned to Milan and became increasingly interested in science. He also studied many other animals, comparing their bodies to the human body. From then on, Leonardo spent the rest of his life mainly on his scientific studies.
A. Before long, he returned to his painting.
B. Of course, his place in art history is certain.
C. It also shows his great interest in technology.
D. The notebooks are full of drawings for all kinds of inventions.
E. He began to study human bodies and the movement of the blood.
F. Here he continued to combine his scientific work with his painting.
G. It was a good chance to make some money with his new inventions.
