Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance man, whose infinite curiosity was equalled only by his powers of invention. He is considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person to have ever lived.

Leonardo is renowned primarily as a painter. Two of his works, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, are the most famous, most reproduced portrait and religious painting of all time, respectively, their fame approached only by Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. Leonardo's drawing of the Vitruvian Man is also regarded as a cultural icon.

As an engineer, Leonardo conceived ideas vastly ahead of his own time. He conceptualised a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were even possible during his lifetime, but some of his smaller inventions, such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire, entered the world of manufacturing. As a scientist, he greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the fields of anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics.

UNIT 2

The Painter

On 25 October 1881 a little boy was born in Malaga, Spain. This baby grew up to be one of the 20^th century’s greatest painters – Pablo Picasso.

Picasso showed his truly exceptional talent from a very young age. His first word was lapiz – Spanish for pencil, and he learned to draw before he could talk. He was the only son in the family and very good-looking, so he was thoroughly spoilt. His father was an amateur artist. Pablo often watched his father paint and sometimes was allowed to help. One evening his father was painting their pigeons when he had to leave the room. He returned to find that Pablo had completed the picture and it was so amazingly lifelike that he gave his son his own palette and brushes and never painted again. Pablo was just 13. Many people realized that he was a genius but he disappointed those who wanted him to become a traditional painter. He was always breaking the rules of artistic tradition and shocked the public with his strange and powerful pictures. His paintings of people were often made up of triangles and squares with their features in the wrong place. His work changed our ideas about art, and to millions of people modern art means the work of Picasso. He created over 6000 paintings, drawings and sculptures.

UNIT 3

Factors Influencing Fashion in the 16^th Century

Perhaps the single biggest factor influencing fashion in the sixteenth century was the wealth of European kingdoms and powerful city-states in Italy. Trade and exploration had led to a boom in the economies of Europe. And the textile or fabric industries were at the centre of that boom. Wool production in England and silk production in Italy were especially important. These industries allowed for the creation of rich fabrics. At the same time tailors guilds or associations of craftsmen proved very skilled at turning these fabrics into luxurious clothes. The monarchs and the members of their court were enriched by these trends and could afford the most expensive clothes. But the guild members, traders and merchants who made up a growing middle class could also afford these clothes. The powerful kings and queens who led European nations believed that one of the ways that they could display their power was through their clothing. Powerful leaders had always set an example by their clothes.

UNIT 4

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