No, Leonardo da Vinci did not attend art school in the way we think of it today. Instead, he was an apprentice. At the age of 14, he began a formal apprenticeship under Andrea del Verrocchio, a prominent artist in Florence. During his time there, he learned various techniques in painting, sculpture, and even mechanical arts.
This hands-on training provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the artistic process, which helped shape his later works. Unlike modern art schools, which have structured curriculums and classrooms, apprenticeships in the Renaissance focused on learning directly from a master artist in a workshop environment.
Through his apprenticeship, Leonardo not only developed his artistic skills but also gained valuable insights into anatomy, engineering, and nature, all of which influenced his remarkable body of work in painting, sculpture, and invention.