Leonardo da Vinci is an artist.
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( [ leoˈnardo di ˌsɛr ˈpjɛːro da ( v ) ˈvintʃi ] ; 15 April 14522 May 1519 ) , more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo , was an Italian polymath whose areas of interest included invention , painting , sculpting , architecture , science , music , mathematics , engineering , literature , anatomy , geology , astronomy , botany , writing , history , and cartography . He has been variously called the father of palaeontology , ichnology , and architecture , and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time . Among his works , the Mona Lisa is the most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time . Perhaps fifteen of his paintings have survived.There are 15 significant artworks which are ascribed , either in whole or in large part , to Leonardo by most art historians .