Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man

by Martin Kemp

Book Overview

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,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192807250
• ISBN13: 9780192807250
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 9.8" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Exceptionally Readable and Knowledgable

Kemp's book is exceedingly different from many accounts of the life of Leonardo da Vinci. It does not try to explain his entire life or place him on secret missions for the Church, nor does it find hidden meanings in his paintings. Leonardo da Vinci is a straight-forward text, and coupled with Kemp's easy-to-read writing style, is quite enjoyable. At times, Kemp becomes carried away with descriptions of Leonardo's work, but although it becomes tedious at times, this is done for a reason: he is following in the writing style of Leonardo himself. Kemp's narrative alludes to much, and while this works well in fiction, scholarly texts' facts should be clear when the point being made elevates the subject above others. This does not detract from the benefit all readers of this book would obtain from reading it, however, as it is insightful and thought-provoking. The sketches, illustrations, and paintings shown along with the corresponding text are not mentioned only once as just an example, but integrated extremely well into Kemp's vision of Leonardo and provides evidence for his thesis that the whole of his accomplishments could produce a clear understanding of Leonardo's "intellectual foundations."