These observations influenced his aspiring life as an artist. ... Verrocchio gave him a place in his workshop because he was impressed with young Leonardo's drawings. ... No other artist had achieved this before. ... He completed his most famous portrait, La Gioconda (Mona Lisa). The mysterious portrait that took Leonardo 4 years to finish was painted on a 77x53 cm large poplar-wood. ...

• Word Count: 2402
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

He also completed another great painting of John the Baptist as a young man. ... Because young Leonardo demonstrated a great talent for drawing, his father later made him an apprentice in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio, a leading artist in Florence. ... Artists in the fifteenth century Italy were more than just expert painters and sculptors however. ... He completed his most famous portrait La Gioconda (Mona Lisa). ... He planned the costumes and sets for festivals and plays, designed and built forts, laid out new canals for the city and painted many portraits. ...

• Word Count: 1626
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School