Leonardo da Vinci was an artist and inventor. He lived long ago in Italy. He was a painter. He was a sculptor. He was an architect. He was an engineer. Da Vinci means from Vinci. Vinci is the village where he was born. He lived during a time in Italy called the Renaissance.

He learned art in Florence. He learned in the workshop of an artist named Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1482 Leonardo went to Milan. He went to work for the ruling family there. He painted The Last Supper on a wall in Milan. He painted it between 1494 and 1498. He finished very few paintings.

Leonardo kept notebooks. They were filled with drawings and notes. He was left-handed. He wrote his notes backwards. This was called mirror writing. The notes read from right to left. He loved nature. He explored the mountains near Milan.

He studied how birds fly. He drew designs for flying machines. He drew an idea for a parachute. He moved to France. He spent the rest of his life there. He painted the Mona Lisa. It hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris. This is true as of November 2026.

Words to know

• Renaissance: a time
• workshop: art room
• notebooks: note books
• backwards: in reverse