Leonardo da Vinci

by Kenneth M. Clark, Martin Kemp (Introduction, Revised Edition)

A personally compelling introduction to Leonardo's genius, a classic monograph of Leonardo's art and his develpoment.

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

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Sir Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (1903 -1983) was a British art historian, museum director, and broadcaster. After running two important art galleries in the 1930s and 1940s, he came to wider public notice on television, presenting a succession of programmes on the arts during the 1950s and 1960s, culminating in the Civilisation series in 1969.

The son of rich parents, Clark was introduced to the arts at an early age. Among his early influences were the writings of John Ruskin, which instilled in him the belief that everyone should have access to great art. After coming under the influence of the connoisseur and dealer Bernard Berenson, Clark was appointed director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford aged twenty-seven, and three years later he was put in charge of Britain's National Gallery. His twelve years there saw the gallery transformed to make it accessible and inviting to a wider public.

During the Second World War, when the collection was moved from London for safe keeping, Clark made the building available for a series of daily concerts which proved a celebrated morale booster during the Blitz.

After the war, and three years as Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford, Clark surprised many by accepting the chairmanship of the UK's first commercial television network. Once the service had been successfully launched he agreed to write and present programmes about the arts. These established him as a household name in Britain, and he was asked to create the first colour series about the arts, Civilisation, first broadcast in 1969 in Britain and in many other countries soon afterwards.

Among many honours, Clark was knighted at the unusually young age of thirty-five, and three decades later was made a life peer shortly before the first transmission of Civilisation. Three decades after his death, Clark was celebrated in an exhibition at Tate Britain in London, prompting a reappraisal of his career by a new generation of critics and historians. Opinions varied about his aesthetic judgment, particularly in attributing paintings to old masters, but his skill as a writer and his enthusiasm for popularising the arts were widely recognised. Both the BBC and the Tate described him in retrospect as one of the most influential figures in British art of the twentieth century.

Reviews

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but so very dry and hard to sit and read from cover to cover. I'm possibly being unfair on the author here - Clarke has clearly done plenty of research and has plenty of knowledge to impart, but as a consequence of the density of the typesetting, the format requiring constant flipping from points in long blocks of text to a central section of photographic plates, and the subject being 'of interest' to me but not something I am massively compelled to learn about, it made for a limited read. I also found the black & white images only imparted some of the beauty of da Vinci's work, they were rather dark in places.

As a reference book, a useful addition to others on the subject, I'd expect, but as a casual reader curious about the artist this fell a little short of expectations.

[Стефан Петков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Класика. Абсолютно задължителна.
П.П. Преводът на Нели Доспевска на българското издание(което току-що прочетох) е отличен.

[Stefano Ottolenghi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only about Leonardo as an artist. Not as a scientist, little as a person, but as an artist. There are long parts of we-are-not-sure-who-painted-this and there-is-evidence-that-this-and-that-but that I really didn't care about. Interesting but not as much as I expected.

[Marie PIERRE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parce que la peinture est une passion et que Léonard est le plus étonnant, créatif et génial des peintres.
La bio que Clark lui consacre est devenu un livre de chevet et donc jamais achevé.

[Phyllis Hirshleifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clark's view of Leonardo

This is a sensitive and sympathetic view of the artist by a great interpreter. One needn't agree with every opinion to enjoy the insights.

[David Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This engaging overview of Leonardo's work strikes a balance between a thorough discussion of most of his works, on the one hand, and a more general portrait of his outlook and life, on the other. We think of Leonardo as a painter—and it was in this area that he most excelled—but his output was not exactly prolific. I was amazed to learn that only one of his paintings can really be said to have come down to us in its original form: the unremarkable Ambrosiana Musician. The Mona Lisa has been muddied by time (where is the "rosy and tender" nose that Vasari writes of) and the Last Supper so extensively overpainting that nothing original remains. Leonardo was brilliant, thought big ideas in a variety of fields, and was fortunate that the world was ready to grasp onto those ideas and run with them. We may not have one surviving example of Leonardo's architecture, but Clark ascribes all of French chateau design to his influence. Same with his anatomy. Same with his equestrian statuary.

Yet, in the absence of evidence the imagination flourishes. It may be that if more of Leonardo's work had survived, we would not now see it as so seminally influential.

[Noah Oanh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad that I choose this one as first book to study about Leonardo. The author who is English but was working and living in Italy for a while and with wide background on art studying etc. he gave us a good view about Da Vinci's life, kind of his personality besides all the art works that he left behind. A bit hard to read through small letters on small yellow paper but I did enjoy it very much.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive and enlightening survey of da Vinci’s art, well illustrated with his major works and many of his drawings and studies. Clark’s insights have stood the test of time remarkably well.

[Tam]

Leonardo has been mythologized and then de-mythologized many times. He is worshipped and he falls into disfavor. His greatness may not be as much as we (and he) want it to be, but his drawings still hold a power. Out there there are lots of lifelike works and yet they remain lifeless, but Leo's sketches, for me, always seem to be able to capture the very essence, the vivacity of their subjects.

This is an old book but it still serves well as a great introduction to Leo's artistic life. Clark states carefully that he does not aim to explore Leo's achievements as a scientist, but he does mention briefly what Leo was involved with and his ambitions as well as frustrations.

Martin Kemp's introduction is particularly valuable.

[Frightful_elk · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly readable, sensitive and intelligent overview of Leonardo's life and work. Very insightful and frank. Clark has the rare gift of bringing life and understanding to the facts without flying of into romantic speculation. Highly recommended.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kenneth Clark is an interesting bag. His books were often the textbooks of Universities during the 60's and 70's.

He was not a historian 'til he was given the job of protecting England's ancient treasures and arts.

He even filmed a series about history. A bit of a dry affair.

[Diane Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long, long book. But I like books about artists and alway wanted to know more about Leonardo and his inventions and his life. It was very interesting. I would like to read other works by Kenneth Clark.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Barbara]

Find this, dff ed

[Tori]

Leonardo da Vinci: Revised Edition by Kenneth Clark (1989)