My artist is Leonardo da Vinci. He was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. The famous artist died on May 2, 1519 in Amboise, France. During his lifetime, he was part of the Renaissance artistic style. I decided to choose Leonardo da Vinci because I don't know much about art history, but the name Leonardo da Vinci stands out from everyone, so I thought it would be interesting to learn more about one of the most influential artists in history. When Leonardo was born his father, Piero Fruosino d'Antonio da Vinci, took custody of him while his mother, Caterina da Vinci, left and married another man. It was at the age of 15 that Leonardo's talents really began to shine. The future prestigious artist got his first real opportunity when he painted an angel in Verrochio's "The Baptism of Christ." Verrochio was a renowned artist himself at the time. When Leonardo da Vinci was finished, his work was so much better than that of his masters that Verrochio swore never to paint again. After this work, Leonardo da Vinci was looking for new challenges, and after his financial breakdown, Leonardo da Vinci entered the service of the Duke of Milan. The work was nice but it wasn't what Leonardo wanted. The duke kept him busy painting, sculpting, and designing court festivals, but Leonardo did not have much freedom in his work. Soon after, da Vinci began to strike out on his own and do his own thing. One of the dilemmas da Vinci faced was that because his interest was not focused on just one thing, he found himself not finishing his works and always starting new ones. His inability to complete his work was the result of only completing six works of art in 17 years. Although Leonardo da Vinci had difficulty completing his work, he did not have difficulty keeping track of it. Between 1490 and 1495, da Vinci began recording his work on v...... middle of paper ...... a man named Costanza d'Avalos and an anonymous courtesan, but there are no facts to prove one of them. It's my favorite work for this reason, because it's so famous and yet no one really knows much about it. Leonardo da Vinci's work was so important because he showed so much uniqueness and diversity for a single artist. His work inspired other artists to try different styles and not stick to just one thing all the time. Using different styles gives you more options and helps artists find their true potential. Da Vinci is so important to history because he set a path for the artist to follow later; his work has been and always will be known as some of the most unique and best work of all time. Da Vinci helped me as an artist because he shows that artists don't just have to be good at one thing, they can have a wide variety of talents and be successful in all of them..