The first talents of young da Vinci were drawing and painting.

Andrea del Verocchio helped da Vinci in his future career by providing him with opportunities to work on important projects and develop his skills as an artist.

Lorenzo de Medici sent da Vinci from Florence to Milan to work for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, as a painter, sculptor, and engineer.

Da Vinci studied the structure of the human body by dissecting corpses and making detailed anatomical drawings.

This knowledge helped da Vinci to draw more accurately and realistically, as he was able to understand the underlying structure and proportions of the human body.

Few pictures of da Vinci have come down to us because he was known to be a perfectionist who often worked on multiple projects simultaneously and may not have completed or preserved all of his works.

People of his time knew da Vinci primarily as an artist because his paintings, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, were highly acclaimed and widely recognized during his lifetime.

Da Vinci may have hidden his scientific ideas because he lived during a time when such ideas could be considered heretical or dangerous, and he may have been cautious about sharing them publicly. Additionally, his interests and talents were diverse, and he may have simply focused more on his artistic pursuits.