Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, The Vitruvian Man (Reti 146). Who was the man behind all these famous works of art? It was me, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, a polymath: sculptor, painter, engineer, mathematician, inventor, botanist, architect, anatomist, geologist, writer and cartographer. I wanted to know everything; the noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding (Riter). Whenever people saw me, they visualized wealth and happiness, but what they overlooked was the factor that shaped me into the person I am now. My early life was filled with hardship, pain, and intricate obstacles. April 15, 1452 was the day this talented man was born, but it was also the beginning of my challenging life. I was born in the municipality of Vinci which was located in the territory of Florence. My father Ser Piero was an up-and-coming notary. Caterina, my mother was a farmer. I was born out of wedlock, meaning my parents weren't married when they had me. My status as an illegitimate child greatly influenced my personal development. “As a notary, my father occupied a fairly solid position within the developing middle class, which was full of clubs, guilds, and unions that carefully regulated my opportunities. I had no hope of attending college or becoming a notary like my father” (SparkNotes Editors). I had very little opportunity to spend time with my father, who was always busy with work in Florence. Not only was I illegitimate, but my mother was soon distracted by her other children when she decided to abandon me and marry another man. With my mother marrying another man and my father marrying a sixteen-year-old girl, I ended up having 17 half-siblings (SparkNotes Editors). Without a doubt, I felt neglected as my parents drifted further and further away… middle of paper… my life was coming to an end, this made me realize how people viewed me. My father Ser Piero, despite having no time for me and marrying another woman, loved me anyway. He appreciated my talent and directed me towards the path of art and creativity. My teacher Andrea del Verrocchio admired my painting skills, treated me like a son rather than an apprentice, teaching me everything he knew and about life in general. My students Salai and Francesco Melzi respected me as their teacher. Although the public humiliated me when I was accused of homosexual sodomy, their attitude towards me changed after they realized my talent and when the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. Being famous isn't everything; it's the factors around you that made things famous. The people around me were the ones who contributed to the existence of me, Leonardo da Vinci.