Da Vinci: A Scientist-Artist
1507 AD
1507 1507
09.08E45.30N
ART

MILAN, ITALY
	One of the greatest painters of history was almost as much scientist as he was artist.
	Leonardo da Vinci observed nature in the meticulous manner of a scientist. He examined rocks, hills, plants and animals -- and especially people.  As a young man, he would even gather friends and tell jokes so he could watch their expressions.
	While living in Florence, Italy, he painted a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the young wife of a Florentine merchant.  He worked on the portrait for four years, capturing her natural appearance and subtle half-smile.  This "Mona Lisa," completed in 1507, became one of his most famous paintings.
	On the wall of a Milan monastery is another of Da Vinci's famous works, the "Last Supper."  It depicts Jesus and his disciples at the Passover meal just after he has said that one of them would betray him.
	Though Da Vinci is best known as an artist, he was also was knowledgeable about astronomy, anatomy, botany and geology.  During his last years he sketched hundreds of inventions, including a model for a helicopter-like flying machine.
