Leonardo da Vinci, The Treasures of

by Matthew Landrus

Leonardo da Vinci is often considered the master of the Renaissance and hailed as a genius ahead of his time. Most famous for such works as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper , Leonardo da Vinci was more than a painter of extraordinary skill. In fact, he frequently regarded himself principally as a civil and military engineer. The Treasures of Leonardo da Vinci tells the story of this artist/engineer's life and times, and looks at the major themes that dominated Leonardo's work. Beautifully illustrated, the book also contains 30 items of rare memorabilia, The Treasures of Leonardo da Vinci is a unique guide to this most gifted of men.

Genres: Art, History, Science, Nonfiction, Art History

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Maj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a decade ago and have since leafed through it a few times but only recently decided to actually read it from cover to cover, and study the facsimiles, and just sort of properly enjoy it and take it all in.

Obviously, when it comes to science, good old Leo is well beyond me, so I can't pretend to find his engineering studies etc. quite as riveting, as I don't have enough knowledge in that area. But going through his facsimiles is still utterly fascinating, using the mirror, trying to make out the Italian (all the materials do have a translation tho, to CZ in my case). It's special, and an experience beyond a traditional non-fiction book.

Of course in the space of (v. large) 64 pages this book only breezes through the most important points in Leonardo's life, but it does go into greater detail when describing or critiquing the individual pieces of art or work.
(I don't think anyone would confuse this treasure trove of a book with a detailed biography though...I can't even pick the book up using just one hand!)

The visual side of the book is lavish, the facsimiles are great, and for the most part well chosen.
Anyone with a "thing" for very old "stuff" will probably enjoy this. The thrill is not quite the same as seeing the real documents and pieces of art in person, but one big advantage here: NO WHITE GLOVES!

[Karolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Što reći o umjetniku koji je pokazao interes za prirodom i znanjem još u djetinjstvu te ostavio brojne rukopise, skice i slike da mogu trajati nakon njegova života i da ljudi mogu napredovati dalje kako odmiče vrijeme?

Mona Lisa, Leda i labud, Posljednja večera.... svaka je ljepša od druge. Vjerujem da je on bio jedini koji je uistinu "vidio", virtuoz među svojim slijepim suvremenicima. Jedina razlika između Leonardovih slika i današnjih umjetnika je upravo strast. On je vjerno uspio predočiti emocije svojih likova, njihove zamrznute pokrete, vjetar koji ih mrsi kosu i pripija im odjeću uz tijelo. Stvorio je savršenu ravnotežu između likova i prirode u pozadini.

Iako je djelovao u 15. stoljeću, vjerujem da ću više od njega naučiti nego od današnjih učenih umjetnika. Vjerovao je da se najbolje uči iz iskustva, od prirode koja nudi mnogo nama, samo bismo morali otvoriti oči.

Nemoguće je prikazati nadahnuće riječima koje mi je ulio Leonardo stoga ću završiti s parafraziranjem njegove misli:

- Slikar bi stoga bio onaj koji uči iz iskustva, a ne samo iz knjiga.

[Corina Leth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually not as interesting as I thought it would be. Too dry and sometimes not enough explained.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond description.