Leonardo da Vinci. The Complete Paintings

Leonardo Da Vinci #1-2

by Frank Zöllner

Inventor, painter, sculptor, scientist, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was nothing short of a quintessential Renaissance genius. No other artist of his generation has left behind such an extensive, authentic, and innovative oeuvre―yet Leonardo remains the most enigmatic of them all. From the beguiling Last Supper to the showstopping Mona Lisa, discover the complete painted oeuvre of one of history’s most insatiable creative masters. This collection draws from our extensive best-selling XXL edition, one of the most complete explorations of Leonardo to date, to trace his life and work across 10 chapters. All known paintings are featured, gathering some of the finest treasures of the Louvre, Prado, and National Gallery, as well as works lost to time, but no less startling in their precision and poise. This definitive volume is complete with crisp details, accessible essays situating Leonardo’s approach within its socio-cultural context and pictorial traditions of the time, the latest scientific insights, as well as an updated foreword that illuminates one of the most sensational art historical discoveries of our time: the record-breaking Salvator Mundi.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Art History, Biography, Reference, Renaissance

271 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Frank Zöllner (born 26 June 1956 in Bremen) is a German art historian and professor.

Zöllner studied history of art from 1977 to 1981. In 1983-1985 he was an 'Aby Warburg Fellow' in the Warburg Institute, in London. After his 1987 graduation took place at the University of Hamburg he worked from 1988 to 1992 as a research assistant at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome.

Zöllner has since 1996 been a professor of medieval and modern art history at the University of Leipzig.

Reviews

[Huda Aweys]

دراسة دافنشي التشريحية (و اهتمامه بالتفاصيل) أثرت على اعماله و خلته واحد من أهم المصورين في العصر دا ان جاز التعبير

و لو انه فعلا من أهم مصوري العصر دا :) رغم انه ماكانش فيه مصورين اصلا بالمعنى المتعارف عليه حاليا ، الا انه من الثابت تاريخيا انه كان من اوائل الناس اللي اكتشفوا و استخدموا تقنية الحجرة المظلمة او الكاميرا ذات الثقب
*****
و طبيعة العصر دا عموما بخلفيته الدينية الشاعرية و ميله للترميز الديني و الفلسفي ، تركت انطباعها على اعمال دافنشي بشكل واضح يخلينا نقول بكل ثقة انه كان فنان عصره فعلا

الضوء .. العيون .. التفاصيل .. صبغة الغموض اللي بيصبغها على شخوصه ، بتبين مدى موهبته و حساسيته ، اللي بتنقله من مصاف الفنانين العاديين في الفترة دي لرتبة أرقى فعلا شويه :) يستحق بيها انه يكون
(ليوناردو دافينشي)

*****
بس الحقيقة اني لاحظت ان الأوروبيين مهولين من امكانياته و خبراته .. بشكل مبالغ فيه فعلا و بانيين اساطير حواليه .. تقريبا كده مألهينه
:)
***
و الحقيقة بردو اني موش من المأخوذين بالموناليزا .. او بابتسامتها :) ، و ان كانت التقنية اللي دافنشي استعان بيها في تلك اللوحة بفضل دراسته للهندسة تقنية مميزة فعلا و ملفته
و بالمناسبة بردو ، انا من الناس اللي معتقدين بوجود رموز في أعماله و بكونه كان واحد من (التنويريين) فعلا
و أخباره و آرائه بتأكد على هذا الاعتقاد
*****
من اقواله المأثورة (و اللي وردت في (مخطوطة اتلانتيكس) ، اللي بتضم مذكراته و بعض رسوماته و مخططاته ) :
***

أعلم جيدا , بما أنى لست أديبا , أن بعض المتعجرفين قد يبدو لهم منصفا انتقادى بحجة أنى رجل لم يدرس الآداب .يا لهم من أناس حمقاء ! لا يعرفون أنى أستطيع الرد عليهم كما رد ماريو على النبلاء الرومان قائلا :" إن هؤلاء الذين يتزيّــنون من جهود الآخرين لا يريدون الإعتراف بجهودى ." ألا يعلم هؤلاء أنى اكتسبت معارفى بشكل أكبر عن طريق الخبرة التي علمت الكتاب الموهوبين كيف يكتبون و هكذا اتخذها أنا معلمةً لى و هذه هي حجتى في كل الأحوال

*****

معنى أننى" رجل لم يدرس الآداب " يكمن في أنى لا أعرف اللاتينية :و لكنى لا أحتاج تعلم اللاتينية لأنه يوجد الكثير من المفردات في لغتى الأم ، ما يهم هو فهم الأشياء جيدا أكثرمن نقص الكلمات التى أستطيع أن أعبر بها عن فكرى ، و إن كانت لغة العامة لها القدرة الكاملة على التعبير عن أى مفهوم فتصبح المشكلة في صحة ما يُناقش

*****

إن هؤلاء الذين يجادلون مستشهدين بمراجع كًتّاب آخرين يصبحون مغرورين و متغطرسين ، كالذين يرتدون و يتزيّنون بجهود الآخرين لا بجهودهم ، و لا يعترفون بجهودى و يحقّرون من كونى مخترعا بقدر كونهم ليسوا مخترعين بل مقلدين و مجرد رواه لأعمال غيرهم قد يصبحون محل انتقاد. ثم ينتقدوننى مستندين إلى أن براهينى تناقض براهين رجال آخرين ذوى أهمية كبيرة و بعدهم تكون البراهين عديمة الخبرة ، و ذلك لأنهم لم يأخذوا في الإعتبار أن أشيائى نشأت من جراء التجربة البسيطة الخالصة و التى تعد المعلم الحقيقى .

*****

[E. G.]

Preface to the 2015 Edition

Leonardo da Vinci - Life and Work, Frank Zöllner
--I The young artist in Florence 1469-1480
--II Professional breakthrough in Florence 1480-1482
--III A fresh start in Milan 1483-1484
--IV Beginnings as court artist in Milan 1485-1494
--V The artist and "science"
--VI From the Last Supper to the fall of Ludovico Sforza 1495-1499
--VII From Mantua to Venice and back to Florence 1500-1503
--VIII Leonardo in Florence 1504-1506: Battle paintings and "muscular rhetoric"
--IX Between Florence and Milan 1506-1510
--X The last years
Bibliographical References (Life and Work)

--Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Frank Zöllner
--The "Heidelberg Cicero", Frank Zöllner

The Graphic Work, Frank Zöllner and Johannes Nathan
--Perfecting the art of drawing
--1. Drawings and sketches for surviving or documented paintings
--2. Studies for equestrian monuments and horses
--3. Drawings of human figures, animals and monsters
--4. Drapery studies
--5. Profile studies, character heads and grotesques
--6. Proportion drawings
--7. Anatomical drawings
--8. Allegories, emblems and pictographs
--9. Plant studies
--10. Studies of landscapes, water and "natural catastrophes"
--11. Drawings of maps and plans
--12. Architectural studies
--13. Engineering and machinery studies
--14. Studies for military equipment
--15. Studies of flying machines and bird flight
--16. Studies on light and shade
--17. Leonardo's manuscripts

Concordance of drawings
Bibliography
Index
Credits
Acknowledgements
Imprint

[Nina]

Awesome prints showing every detail. 5 out of 5 stars

[Wendy Lohr]

*This review can also be found on my blog, The Never-Ending TBR Pile.

Insightful. Thorough. Illuminating.

Leonardo da Vinci has always fascinated me. So when I discovered they were coming out with an edition of this book to celebrate 500 years since his death, I put it on my Christmas list and my awesome hubby got it for me. I've been slowly devouring it ever since as this is a massive book. And it is worth devouring slowly.

It's not so much a biography of da Vinci as more of a collection and analysis of his works. But so much is gleaned from his life and the society and culture of his day as each section walks through his various periods that I felt I learned a lot about the man as well as his creations. Learning of his various employers and the multitude of unrealized concepts he came up with was fascinating. So I have no doubt I'll be seeking out more biographical accounts of his life to discover even more interesting details and tidbits.

The artwork presented and analyzed in this edition is stunning even in their digitized state. Most likely I'll never get to all the museums in the world that possess da Vinci works, so this was the next best thing, allowing me to see detailed sections of paintings as well as the full paintings themselves and showing even the most minute of detail such as brush strokes and figures or shapes that no one can get close enough to any of the paintings now to really scrutinize. Well, unless you're a restorer. Then lucky you!

It was amazing to see the sheer volume of sketches and notes that made up his numerous notebooks also portrayed in this book. Everything from plants and animals to fables to war machines and flying machines were spotlighted, showing the seemingly never-ending depth of da Vinci's curiosity about the world around him. It's incredible to know how much he contributed to so many different areas of interest just within his lifetime and how those contributions are still astounding people today. Talk about leaving a legacy!

So, if you're interested in da Vinci's works, whether it's his scythed-chariot concept, his humongous flying machine, his mapping of canal systems, or the Mona Lisa, definitely get a copy of this.

As a side note, Taschen publishes many other compendiums similar to this one but about many other artists that I might just have to go back into their catalog and see what else I can find!

[Sharna Sammy]

Not the kind of book one 'reads'. To put it simply... he was a scientist and so he approached his work as a scientist - ready to explore the possibilities in his mind. He practiced his craft everyday. He became as great as he was through practice, practice, and more practice, until he mastered it.

[Bogdan Raț]

"Surely the painter has offended Nature and the high goddess with his picture. It galls her the latter that the human hand is capable of so much, the former that a figure that should quickly perish has been granted immortality."

[Arnav]

Cool book.

[Smiley]

I bought this huge hardcover (THB1,700) at the SU Book Fair on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 after I had waited for a copy since last October. Then, there was a National Book Fair in BKK, I saw one or two copies in Khun Chanchai's booth and didn't decide to buy one (this price). A few days later I decided to buy one but they're all gone! Therefore, Khun Chanchai told me he was sorry and I needed to wait till next time. And the time came for me, while another booth would sell me at THB2,600 (!?!) which was a daylight robbery.

I would definitely enjoy my browsing & reading Leonardo da Vinci's eternal masterpieces for ever.

[Serena Grace]

He demonstrated how a good understanding of math resulted in a better understanding of art- a true genius.

[Jenn]

This book gives a lot of facts and speculation on Leo and each painting, sketch and invention he's ever produced... That we know of

[Shruti Sharma]

" Today I read Leonardo da Vinci's book on painting and now understand why I have never been able to understand anything in it before."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Accurate description for the book.

[Amanda]

This book is quite thorough and contains plenty of information about da Vinci's life, painting process, the condition/location/history of each painting, as well as most of his drawings, from portraits to mechanical studies to botany studies. A couple drawings (both portraits of women) came to mind that did not show up in this book, but I'm sure they've been attributed to da Vinci before this book was published, so I'm not sure why are are not included since they are both pretty well known. In the end I came away wanting to know even more about him, beyond the incredible amount of information already included. The author has done a lot of research and even explains why some works may or may not be correctly attributed, like some of the earlier works by Verrochio and da Vinci, and paintings by students based off of da Vinci's designs. The reproductions are very well done, and the physical book is very beautiful (and heavy!). If you are interested in knowing more than you already do, I recommend this book. The explanations and sources are all very valid, and properly cited.

[Michelle]

Algunos párrafos de redacción confusa

[adriaan.023]

"Todo lo que constituye el valor de la vida humana conduce al sentimiento de su precariedad, pero sobre todo de su fundamental ambigüedad... Este sentimiento de una posición ambiente del hombre entre lo horrible y lo exquisito, entre lo cierto y lo ilusorio, se ha acentuado en Leonardo con los años; hay en su obra pictórica un desarrollo paralelo del claroscuro [...] contraste que da valor a términos opuestos: "La belleza con la fealdad, aparecen más potentes la una por la otra"."

A. Chastel sobre Leonardo da Vinci

[Tony Foxhoven]

This was actually really good and had just pages upon pages of preliminary sketches,etc. Honestly the reason this took me so long is that the book is literally 10 pounds and a length past a foot so I couldn't just pick it up and read. Despite needing a flat surface nearly every time I started to read this was a really informative and gorgeous book = the Art journey continues

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

[wyclif]

Outstanding art book; probably my fave of the genre. Rewards repeated perusals. It's also great for teaching art appreciation and history to children.

[Artiom Karsiuk]

Gotta hand it to da Vinci: the man holds such a strong monopoly on the name LEONARDO, that even DiCaprio threw his hands up and was like "I guess I'll go by Leo then..."

Why did I buy this ~8 kg monstrosity of a book, you ask? Well, I place the blame firmly with the great Walter Isaacson and his 2017 biography of the man, which was a masterpiece in its own right. He painted (see what I did there?) such a fascinating portrait of this infinitely curious, gay-to-the-bone, possibly pedophile, possibly atheist, possibly ADHD, all-around crazy, yet genius man, that I couldn't resist a deep dive into his works.

And you can't go any deeper than TASCHEN. That company made it their business. When they say "The Complete Paintings and Drawings", you better fucking believe it. From the smallest dick doodles to the biggest [zoomed-in] book spreads of his paintings: they leave no stone unturned.

A monumental book for a colossus of a man.

[Katy]

The book was fantastic in its detailing the only problem that i have with this book is the binding itself it ruins some of the images i feel a better binding could have helped the book but other then the binding i do love this!

[brittney]

this book is a vacation bound in leather! nuff said

[Troy]

Essential!!!

[Doug Wells]

While the paintings were, as can be expected, remarkable, the writing really never captured the nuance of da Vinci.

[Janh55]

Astounding, extraordinary, jaw-dropping record of all his work. You can't help but wonder at his genius. A privilege to own, actually.

[Rouida Khoury]

Review

[Winter Sophia Rose]

A Glorious Compilation Of The Master's Work!

[Merve Gunbayli]

great book about Leaonardo Da Vinci.

[Mohamad Issa]

9/10

[Oya Bell]

<3 <3 hermoso <3 <3

[Jozef Melichár]

Beautiful book with either, interesting texts and great reproduction. Especially i appreciate drawings and sketches.

[Mylène]

I bought an older version and it is so fascinating and inspiring. The precision of most drawings is astonishing!