Name 10th Grade Reading Comprehension
momentwhenJesustellstheTwelveApostlesthat
Famous Paintings of
Leonardo da Vinci
LeonardodaVinciisoneofthemostwell-known
figures of the Italian Renaissance. In fact, adept as a
painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, engineer, and
draftsman, da Vinci epitomizes the “Renaissance
man.” His artistic work was informed by his scientific
studiesandkeenobservationsofnature.Though
best known as a painter, we have only a few dozen
paintings that can be attributed to him. His best-
known works include the “The Last Supper” and the
“MonaLisa.”
“The Last Supper” was commission by Ludovico
Sforza,theDukeofMilan,in1495,togracetheback
wallofamonasterydininghall.daVinciworkedfor
threeyearsonthepainting,whichshowsthe
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oneofthemwillsoonbetrayhim.BecausedaVinci
usedtemperaandoilondriedplaster,insteadof
the conventional fresco on plaster, the painting has
deteriorated considerably over time. It was further
damagedbyimproperattemptsatrestoration.
Modern conversation techniques, however, have
allowedthepaintingtobestabilized.
Eight years later, da Vinci began his best-known
painting, the “Mona Lisa,” done in da Vinci’s
sfumato technique, in which subtle gradations,
rather than strict borders, infuse paintings with a
softer, smoky aura. It depicts a young woman of
uncertain identify, with a slight smile that has
captivated viewers for centuries. Accounts from an
earlybiographer,however,suggestthatthesubject
ofthe“MonaLisa”isLisadelGiocondo,thewifeof
a wealthy Florentine silk merchant, a theory that is
supported by the painting’s original name — “La
Gioconda.”FordaVinci,thepaintingremaineda
work in progress, and if the painting was
commissioned,thecommissionerneverreceivedit,
asitremainedindaVinci’sposession.Todayitcan
be seen in the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it is
protected behind bulletproof glass and revered as a
nationaltreasure.