Da Vinci lived in the era known as the Renaissance. As distinct from the Medieval - or Middle Ages. It was a was a time when men began thinking in new ways - wanted to study the past, particularly ancient Greek and Rome; and to learn about maths. and science. At this time, the individual and his life in the real world became important for the first time (and for the first time in art history). Before this, in the medieval period,people saw this world as being only a preparation for the next world (ie. life after death) At that time depictions of figures, e.g., were stiff and unrealistic (look at the rows of Saints on mosaics in St. Vitale Ravenna). The Renaissance was a time when people were depicted as expressing their emotions. Also the idea of classical beauty was in fashion. All this had enormous influence on artists of that time, and of course da Vinci, whose depictions of people were realistic and 'humane'. His paintings have a classical beauty to them, since the Renaissance was also the time when people looked back to, and admired, the art, culture and learning of the ancient Greeks. It was a time of exploration in every way, and led da Vinci - who was clearly a genius to attempt to invent or design machines/objects, such as the prototype of a plane and tank. His drawings of the human body were also part of the Renaissance search for truth, and also enabled him to understand how to draw and paint people .
I hope this is helpful.
