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A quick internet search will yield results of Leonardo da Vinci's legendary paintings; the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper; and you might even catch a glimpse of his well-known sketches of machines; human bodies; and animals. However; there's so much more to da Vinci than his paintings and drawings. This 16th-century Italian man embodied the Renaissance spirit -- he was intensely interested in everyone and everything. His curiosity spanned every discipline; from geometry to anatomy to the link between art and science. 500 years ago was a time of insight; of investigation; and in this sense; da Vinci fit in perfectly. However; in another sense; he didn't belong at all -- he was a loner living in his own world. An illegitimate child with 17 half-siblings; Leonardo also shrouded himself in secrecy. He wrote in a mirror script; meaning that you could only understand what he had written by holding it up to a mirror. He believed that we all have potential to do amazing things; but he also had lots of unfinished projects and struggled with lifelong self-doubt. Delve in to these pages to find out why Leonardo di Ser Piero d'Antonio di Ser Piero di Ser Guido da Vinci -- yes; this was his full name -- was as mysterious as his painting of Mona Lisa's famous smile.
About the author
Antone Pierucci is an author and professional historian who has worked in museums; archives and archaeological excavations around the United States and the world. He currently lives in Stockton; California. You can learn more about him and his work by visiting antonepierucci.com.
