Two of
Leonardo da Vinci's works, the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper",
are the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and
religious painting of all time, respectively, their fame approached only
by Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the
Vitruvian Man is also regarded as a cultural icon, being reproduced on
everything from the Euro to text books to t-shirts. Perhaps fifteen of
Leonardo da Vinci's paintings survive, the small number due to his
constant, and frequently disastrous, experimentation with new
techniques, and his chronic procrastination. Nevertheless, these few
works, together with his notebooks, which contain drawings, scientific
diagrams, and his thoughts on the nature of painting, comprise a
contribution to later generations of artists only rivaled by that of his
contemporary, Michelangelo.
A remarkable fact in the life of Leonardo da Vinci was his impeachment
in 1476. At this time it was a common practice of handing out anonymous
accusations in a wooden box in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Leonardo da
Vinci was charged, together with three other men, of homosexual conduct.
All defendants however were acquitted because of lack of evidence. That
Leonardo da Vinci was homosexual now is generally accepted though.
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