He thought of the Moon as being similar to the Earth with seas and areas of solid ground. He understood the fact that the Moon shone with reflected light from the Sun and he correctly explained the 'old Moon in the new Moon's arms' as the Moon's surface illuminated by light reflected from the Earth. See for more details of this quotation and more of Leonardo's ideas about the Universe. The image of the planet reflected by the base will show the surface of the planet much magnified. in order to observe the nature of the planets, open the roof and bring the image of a single planet onto the base of a concave mirror. In a later work, Codex Arundul written about 1513, he says that Leonardo certainly realised the possibility of constructing a telescope and in Codex Atlanticus written in 1490 he talks of He wrote a book, around this time, on the elementary theory of mechanics which appeared in Milan around 1498. He gave several methods of squaring the circle, again using mechanical methods. Leonardo studied Euclid and Pacioli's Suma and began his own geometry research, sometimes giving mechanical solutions. He illustrated Pacioli's Divina proportione and he continued to work with Pacioli and is reported to have neglected his painting because he became so engrossed in geometry. He read Leon Battista Alberti's books on architecture and Piero della Francesca's On Perspective in Painting.

He was also considered as a hydraulic and mechanical engineer.ĭuring his time in Milan, Leonardo became interested in geometry. As well as completing six paintings during his time in the Duke's service he also advised on architecture, fortifications and military matters. He was described in a list of the Duke's staff as a painter and engineer of the duke. Already during this time he sketched pumps, military weapons and other machines.īetween 14 Leonardo was in the service of the Duke of Milan.

From that time he worked for himself in Florence as a painter. He was accepted into the painters' guild in Florence in 1472 but he continued to work as an apprentice until 1477. In 1467 he became an apprentice learning painting, sculpture and acquiring technical and mechanical skills. Biography Leonardo da Vinci was educated in his father's house receiving the usual elementary education of reading, writing and arithmetic.

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