Leonardo Da Vinci

by Carlo Pedretti

Leonardo da Vinci was the true Renaissance man. Not only was he one of the greatest artists ever to live, but he was also a truly gifted architect and creative mind who devised amazing machines centuries ahead of his time. His list of interests and achievements are extraordinary; as well as artist and architect, he was astronomer, researcher, scientist, experimenter, anatomist, and inventor. Leonardo's most acclaimed paintings are the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Paris and The Last Supper in the refectory at Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. But in many ways his greatest legacy are the hundreds of pen and ink drawings and sketches which are now in museums and collections around the world. These explain, in his remarkable mirror writing, his calculations and hypotheses for the mechanical operation of his various ideas. This book attempts to explain who this great genius was and why he became such a creative man. It looks at where he came from and his education, who his influences were, and how he made his way in the world to become the most remarkable man of his time. His work was founded in strict science and based on a profound analysis of ancient and traditional sources, but it was his curiosity which really drove him. His inquisitive mind led him to investigate every field of knowledge and his life's work is an extraordinary synthesis of art, science, and technology fused in theoretical and practical experience gathered from a long and productive life.

Genres: Art, Biography, History, Reference, Art History, Science, Historical

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Carlo Pedretti (6 January 1928 – 5 January 2018) was an Italian art historian.

In his lifetime, he was considered one of the world's leading experts on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci. He was a professor of art history and Armand Hammer Chair in Leonardo Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1960 until his retirement in 1993.

Reviews

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Susan Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was on sale and I picked it up for the diagrams and pictures, but there isn't enough information to string it all together. Need to find a more comprehensive biography of LDV. It's like the Bible. . . don't really get a sense of who he (Jesus, LDV) really was, but wow, look at all the stuff they left behind. I thought Carlo Pedretti was mentioned as a foremost LDV expert, so was hoping there would be some real insights. Seems more like a coffee table book. Looks like one.

[Vanlilith]

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