Da Vinci qualified for membership as a master artist in Florence’s Guild of Saint Luke and created his own workshop, but continued to work closely with his mentor. A few years later, Da Vinci and other Florentine men were charged with sodomy, which was punishable by death or exile, but da Vinci was acquitted of the charges. After becoming an independent artist, Da Vinci received commissions from the leaders of cities, such as Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence and Ludovico Sforza of Milan. Da Vinci worked on projects utilizing his skills as a military engineer and architect as well as a painter and a sculptor. His military designs included an armored tank propelled by two men cranking a shaft a war chariot with scythe blades mounted on the sides, and an enormous crossbow operated by a small army. Leonardo worked in Milan for 17 years, studying anatomy to both increase his knowledge, and to help him as an artist, as well as botany, physics, zoology, geology, hydraulics and …show more content…
One of da Vinci’s most well known paintings is The Last Supper. This painting is a mural on a wall of the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The scene depicts the night when Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him, and the reactions of each disciple. The mural, while being a Renaissance painting, includes the traditional themes of geometry signifying perfection, such as the equilateral triangle formed by Christ’s body and an arching pediment above him representing a halo. There is also repeated use of the number three, representing the holy trinity. The 12 apostles are in four groups of three, and there are three windows behind the table. The painting captures the moment when Jesus tells his followers about how one of them will betray him, and da Vinci illustrated the emotions of each apostle through facial expressions and body language. The ability to clearly depict accurate expressions and realistic body positions was new and gained popularity during the Renaissance. While The Last Supper is one of Leonardo da Vinci’s well known works, his most famous painting is the Mona Lisa, which is now kept in the Louvre in Paris, France. Leonardo started working on the Mona Lisa in Florence in 1503. The history of the Mona Lisa is unknown. Included in the mystery of the portrait is who commissioned the painting, how long