Artists

hree great artists are Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519

Leonardo was born in Vinci, Italy, from a peasant woman named Caterina. When he was young, she left him and let his father care for him. When he was 15 years old, his father noticed he had extreme artistic talent. He arranged for Leonardo to become an appretince to the famous painter Andrea del Verrocchio. By 1472, he was a master in the painters' guild of Florence. He worked there until 1481. Leonardo began keeping paper in his belt for sketching. Later he organized the papers by theme and assembled the pages into notebooks. Seventeen years later, he returned to Florence where he was welcomed and made some great masterpieces. One surprising fact was that he made accurate sketches of the human bones and did disections. Towards the end of his life, he accepted an invintation to live in France. The king admired him and gave him freedom to do his studies. His most famous pieces of art was the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

Raphael Sanzio

Raphael was much younger than Leonardo but worked during the same time. he became known as one of Italy's best painters. As a young man, he worked with great ease and grace. The Italians loved the Madonnas he painted. He also painted many frescoes. Frescoes are like mural type paintings on walls or ceilings. His most famous piece of art was probably the School of Athens.

Michelangelo

Michelangelo sculpted, painted, and designed buildings. He painted one of the best-known Renaissance works, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. He He believed that his talents were insspired by God. Michelangelo carved his statues to show perfect versions of human beings as a symbol of God's beauty and perfection. Michelangelo's best known sculpture is the 13-foot tall statue David. Another popular sculpture is Moses.