Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man

by Martin Kemp

This masterly account of Leonardo da Vinci and his vision of the world has long been recognized as the classic treatment of the Renaissance giant, offering unparalleled insight into Leonardo's intellect and vision at every stage of his artistic career.
Martin Kemp, one of the world's leading authorities on Leonardo, takes us on a mesmerizing journey through the whole span of the great man's life, painting a fully integrated picture of his artistic, scientific, and technological achievements. Kemp shows how Leonardo's early training in
Florence provided a crucial foundation in the "science of art," particularly perspective and anatomy, while his period in the service of the Sforzas of Milan enlarged his outlook to embrace a wide range of natural sciences and mathematics, as he searched for scientific rules governing both man and
the universe. It was these rules, Kemp argues, which provided the basis for his imaginative reconstruction of nature in masterworks such as the Last Supper, The Mona Lisa , and St. John , which reveal his increasingly complex vision of man in the context of nature. And towards the end of his life,
Leonardo became fascinated with the mathematics underlying the "design of nature," behind which lay the ultimate force of the "prime mover," as manifested with supreme power in his Deluge drawings.
Covering every aspect of Leonardo's achievement, generously illustrated, and now including a new introductory chapter setting Leonardo's work in its historical context, this fully updated edition provides unparalleled insight into the mind of this central figure in western art.

Genres: Biography, Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Reference, Biography Memoir, Unfinished

381 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1981

About the author

Martin Kemp is professor of the History of Art at Oxford University, and the author of many books including The Science of Art, Visualizations and the recent Leonardo. He is also a frequent contributor to Nature, the international science journal, where he writes on science and art. Together with Antonio Criminisi, he wrote an article in NEW 1_2005: "Paolo Uccello's 'Battle of San Romano': Order from Chaos" is the most recent report on how they apply 3D graphic techniques to the process of art history investigation.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Alana White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough look at the divine Leonardo, focusing on--as the author says, "the principles, style and development of his thought, rather than enumerating his artistic and scientific achievements." Still, there are examples aplenty of this famous Florentine's artwork, scientific "experiments" and designs. These are generously illustrated with plates in black and white (not of particularly fine quality). I read this book through Interlibrary Loan, one of the library's many wonderful, free services. I came to Kemp's book while researching Renaissance Florence autopsies and dissections, some of which Leonardo and other craftsmen of the time conducted in their quest to paint and/or sculpt the human body. {In her article "The Criminal and the Saintly Body: Autopsy and Dissection in Renaissance Italy," Renaissance Quarterly, Katharine Park mentioned a dissection Leonardo performed in Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence. That article led me to the book I am reviewing here.} Research for the work in progress is constant. In it, a female character is a doctor called upon to perform an autopsy of a man who dies a mysterious death. I am so grateful for all the wonderful Renaissance Italy scholars whose work makes my work possible.

[Krishan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best studies of Leonardo, authored by the leading authority on the great man.
The only drawback is the lack of good prints in the book. Considering the number of books that are printed just for the drawings, this is hardly a drawback.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a well-done intellectual study of da Vinci, but it reads like a textbook and isn't for a popular audience. I was looking for a complete telling of his life and works, something that's apparently not possible given the gaps in da Vinci source material that writers and researchers have to work with. I read the first thirty pages or so closely, then scanned and skimmed the rest.

[Finlay Zanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a genius Leonardo is and the book does effectively convey this and a large amount of his thoughts. However, unfortunately these seem to be presented in a rather illogical way with loose connections being made between different aspects and transitions that just aren’t even explained along with images just being stuck wherever even if not relevant or referenced at all in the text.