InspiringPeople:

Lessonsfor us

Part 8: Inspiring People

LeonardoDa Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci

teaches an important

lesson: mentorship can

pave this way to

independent success. The

guidance that Verrochio

gave to Da Vinci led him

to his success, and the

skills he obtained during

his apprenticeship

allowed Da Vinci to hone

his artistic talents.

Inspirational Lessons: As expected,

after many

years of

reaping the

benefits of

having a

mentor,

Leonardo Da

Vinci became

a mentor

himself; taking

on a young

aristocratic

assistant.

Leonardo Da Vinci was

not only a painter; he was

also an architect, musician

and an inventor. His

greatness, however, was

not built up by himself

alone – when Da Vinci

was only 15 years old he

moved to Florence to

work as an apprentice for

one of the most

successful artists of his

day; Andrea di Cione.

Da Vinci thrived under the mentorship of di Cione. He was taught technical skills and offered opportunities to

learn a vast range of subjects; from leather working to sculpting. During this time Da Vinci showed di Cione (also

known as Verrochio) that he had a talent greater than Verrochio had experienced.

Da Vinci found that working with Verrochio was

so beneficial that he continued to collaborate

with him after he had qualified as a master in the

Guild of St LukeDa Vinci is a good example of

allowing oneself to be taught how to use one’s

talents in order to be able to work individually in

the future. At 30 years old Da Vinci started his

own practice, but decided to move to Milan and

was then mentored by Ludovico Sforza, who

taught him more skills in Art.

Shortly after the completion

of The Last Supper, Leonardo

made friends with a famous

Mathematician; Fra Luca

Pacioli who ended up

teaching Da Vinci advanced

Maths.

Wherever Leonardo Da Vinci

moved to, he would find

somebody who could educate

him further in his interest at

the time. In the 1500s,

however, he started working

on his own as a court painter

and engineer for Louis XII.

As a leader, it is also necessary to sometimes be taught how to better use your talents, and

also how to lead. Every great leader has had somebody who inspires them to do so.

Although Da Vinci was naturally talented, he found it incredibly beneficial to have an

experienced person to teach him more and develop his talents into expertise. Da Vinci also

became a great mentor for the young assistant, and is still used to inspire art students with his

fine technique and skill.

“It had long since come to my attention

that people of accomplishment rarely sat

back and let things happen to them. They

went out and happened to things.”

Words of Wisdom:

“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.”

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not

enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

“I have offended God and mankind because my work didn't reach the

quality it should have.”

“You will never have a

greater or lesser

dominion than that over

yourself...the height of a

man's success is gauged

by his self-mastery; the

depth of his failure by his

self-abandonment. ...And

this law is the expression

of eternal justice. He who

cannot establish

dominion over himself

will have no dominion

over others.”

“He who wishes to be

rich within a day, will be

hanged within a year.”

“He who loves practice

without theory is like the

sailor who boards ship

without a rudder and

compass and never knows

where he may cast.”

References:

http://www.leonardoda-vinci.org/biography.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/davinci/summary.html

http://www.mentormob.com/learn/i/art-6/leonardo-da-vinci-

wikipedia-the-free-encyclopedia