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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Walter Isaacson’s ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ is an excellent biography of one of the Renaissance’s greatest masters. It tells the story of Leonardo’s life by focusing on his art and other works (also beautifully reproduced in the book). Because the writing revolves around specific works or sets of work, there is a bit of time overlap that occurs throughout and, as such, the biography is not strictly chronological. I believe this is a good choice for several reasons. First, Leonardo’s importance to us, his legacy so to speak, is primarily in the work he left behind (or was lost to history). Second, it is very hard to separate Leonardo from what he produced. Much of what we know about him comes from what other's said about his work, his contracts, or through his own notes; works of art in themselves, his notes are focused more on his curiosity, ideas and plans rather than his day to day feelings, though some of that leaks through. Third, Leonardo himself was consumed by his work. Many of his masterpieces took years for him to complete, because he was always searching for that additional perfect detail. Also, he was constantly questioning the world, a quintessential scientist before there was a name for it.
Isaacson's biographies all focus on trying to understand genius. He has written on Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Jennifer Duodna (one of the discoverer's of the crispr cas9 gene-editing system), among others. I have not read Isaacson's other biographies, but I have heard that sometimes he can "get too close" to his subjects, especially if they are still alive and in the middle of their careers (this was a big criticism of his book on Musk). But here this is not a problem. There are centuries between us and Leonardo, and what we've lost in evidence I think Isaacson makes up for in perspective. By the end of his life, Leonardo was generally considered very highly, a genius even. But, this was not always the case and views of him were mixed. Many did not see him for his whole body of work, but rather for what he did or did not do for them. He was famous for not finishing works he was contracted for, and this is reflected in the many clauses of contracts that stipulated payments only if certain milestones were reached within certain time frames. Still, he was sought after. With Isaacson's removed perspective, he can put these contemporary views in context alongside the work that Leonardo produced, whether masterful, lacking or unfinished.
Indeed, Isaacson goes into the excruciating perfection that Leonardo tried to attain. He was always experimenting with new techniques, and could not let go of works because he thought he could always do something more with them that would make them ever so incrementally better. This "perfectionism" was both about his desire to be as accurate as possible (he was also a scientist after all), and his constant discovery of new techniques and anatomies. This inability to let things go shows up in all of his work. He took years to finish the 'Last Supper,' and used novel techniques to bind his paint during slow work (fresco required fast work) which ultimately failed and lead to the loss of most of the paintings integrity; he never delivered the 'Mona Lisa' to those who contracted it, slowly perfecting it over the years; he made incredible discoveries in anatomy that predated and, perhaps, surpassed Vesalius' great work, but he never published it and it was lost to history until much later. This all could be seen as a failing. But, it is also why today we see Leonardo for the genius he was. Leonardo's paintings are considered to be some of the greatest ever made. We may never have had Mona Lisa's smile if not for Leonardo's obsession with always trying to do better.
One of the more entertaining aspects of this book are the sections where the authenticity of potential Leonardo productions were determined. These stories include a whole cast of characters including insightful collectors, fruadsters, and experts, along with the science and historical research needed to make these determinations. Today's artists sign their work. The artist's of Leonardo's day did not. Painting was not, at the time, considered to be much of an artform, but rather a craft - though Leonardo's masterpieces were among the initiators of change in that view. Indeed, paintings generally came out of workshops that were run by a master, but where many artists (apprentices) contributed to the work. Even works that were clearly done by apprentices might have aspects that were added by the master. Additionally, especially in Leonardo's case, aritists might work in multiple mediums, some of which might have been less common among their work, making ascribing certain types of work to certain artists that much more difficult.
A last anecdote that I would like to mention, is how many other famous people Leonardo had contact with. The famous princes and rulers are a given, because many artists made their livings through patronage. But, Leonardo was also good friends with other major Renaissance artists and had rivalries with some others, especially the younger Michelangelo. He also worked with mathemeticians and proto-scientists of his day. But, perhaps, most surprising (to me, at least) was his friendship with Machiavelli. Yes, that Machiavelli. While their time together was not long, they did seem to be real friends. Machiavelli, one of the most opportunistic writers about power and the use of power, and Leonardo, a gay artist who was a vegetarian because he disliked the killing of animals. I think this provides some insight into Leonardo's psyche, he wanted to be next to power. He saw himself as an engineer of war machines. But this was mostly due his curiosity and creativity; his machines never really worked or were even built (though some of his ideas did and up predicting later technologies), but he did finally attach himself to Caesare Borgia, a brutal war leader and prince. It was during this time when Leonardo met Machiavelli, and it was also this time that disabused him of his fantasy about being a great engineer of war machines. He finally saw the true aftermath of terrible attrocities.
To wrap up, this is an excellent biography of a fascinating human being. One who produced works that inspire us to this day. I highly recommend reading it.
Isaacson's biographies all focus on trying to understand genius. He has written on Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Jennifer Duodna (one of the discoverer's of the crispr cas9 gene-editing system), among others. I have not read Isaacson's other biographies, but I have heard that sometimes he can "get too close" to his subjects, especially if they are still alive and in the middle of their careers (this was a big criticism of his book on Musk). But here this is not a problem. There are centuries between us and Leonardo, and what we've lost in evidence I think Isaacson makes up for in perspective. By the end of his life, Leonardo was generally considered very highly, a genius even. But, this was not always the case and views of him were mixed. Many did not see him for his whole body of work, but rather for what he did or did not do for them. He was famous for not finishing works he was contracted for, and this is reflected in the many clauses of contracts that stipulated payments only if certain milestones were reached within certain time frames. Still, he was sought after. With Isaacson's removed perspective, he can put these contemporary views in context alongside the work that Leonardo produced, whether masterful, lacking or unfinished.
Indeed, Isaacson goes into the excruciating perfection that Leonardo tried to attain. He was always experimenting with new techniques, and could not let go of works because he thought he could always do something more with them that would make them ever so incrementally better. This "perfectionism" was both about his desire to be as accurate as possible (he was also a scientist after all), and his constant discovery of new techniques and anatomies. This inability to let things go shows up in all of his work. He took years to finish the 'Last Supper,' and used novel techniques to bind his paint during slow work (fresco required fast work) which ultimately failed and lead to the loss of most of the paintings integrity; he never delivered the 'Mona Lisa' to those who contracted it, slowly perfecting it over the years; he made incredible discoveries in anatomy that predated and, perhaps, surpassed Vesalius' great work, but he never published it and it was lost to history until much later. This all could be seen as a failing. But, it is also why today we see Leonardo for the genius he was. Leonardo's paintings are considered to be some of the greatest ever made. We may never have had Mona Lisa's smile if not for Leonardo's obsession with always trying to do better.
One of the more entertaining aspects of this book are the sections where the authenticity of potential Leonardo productions were determined. These stories include a whole cast of characters including insightful collectors, fruadsters, and experts, along with the science and historical research needed to make these determinations. Today's artists sign their work. The artist's of Leonardo's day did not. Painting was not, at the time, considered to be much of an artform, but rather a craft - though Leonardo's masterpieces were among the initiators of change in that view. Indeed, paintings generally came out of workshops that were run by a master, but where many artists (apprentices) contributed to the work. Even works that were clearly done by apprentices might have aspects that were added by the master. Additionally, especially in Leonardo's case, aritists might work in multiple mediums, some of which might have been less common among their work, making ascribing certain types of work to certain artists that much more difficult.
A last anecdote that I would like to mention, is how many other famous people Leonardo had contact with. The famous princes and rulers are a given, because many artists made their livings through patronage. But, Leonardo was also good friends with other major Renaissance artists and had rivalries with some others, especially the younger Michelangelo. He also worked with mathemeticians and proto-scientists of his day. But, perhaps, most surprising (to me, at least) was his friendship with Machiavelli. Yes, that Machiavelli. While their time together was not long, they did seem to be real friends. Machiavelli, one of the most opportunistic writers about power and the use of power, and Leonardo, a gay artist who was a vegetarian because he disliked the killing of animals. I think this provides some insight into Leonardo's psyche, he wanted to be next to power. He saw himself as an engineer of war machines. But this was mostly due his curiosity and creativity; his machines never really worked or were even built (though some of his ideas did and up predicting later technologies), but he did finally attach himself to Caesare Borgia, a brutal war leader and prince. It was during this time when Leonardo met Machiavelli, and it was also this time that disabused him of his fantasy about being a great engineer of war machines. He finally saw the true aftermath of terrible attrocities.
To wrap up, this is an excellent biography of a fascinating human being. One who produced works that inspire us to this day. I highly recommend reading it.
This was an incredible read. All my life I have been enamored of Leonardo Da Vinci, I've wanted to know more and this book did just that. It's probably the heaviest book I've ever read, too. The pages are all glossy photo type for all the artwork. Even the pages with no art work still use the same type. For that reason, It made sitting up in bed or holding it on the couch a little difficult.
The first few pages were a bit of a technical read but it got easier as the book progressed. And some sections came around to that same dullness. I bought Isaacson's "Einstein" because of this but hope it's not as dry.
The book goes from birth to death, discussing his family, patrons, assistants, friends and lovers. It even discusses his name "Da Vinci" and how it was used, became used, and progressed.
We've all seen the cinema depictions of Da Vinci but I don't ever recall hearing about what he looked like as he came to fame. From the book, it sounds like (and I had to think of an actor to relay this to my wife) the closest thing would be Matthew McConaughey, which still floors me to think about.
He viewed himself as more of an engineer "that also paints" more than anything. He was discovering things years before others. The way the heart works, 450 years before the rest of the world.
Discoveries before Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, and more. He was chosen by King Francis I to design an entire city. The roads, waterways, all of it.
Everything was just "wow." He wasn't vain, he didn't do things for money, didn't publish a lot for publicity, notoriety, fame or fortune. He was just curious and wanted to know how things worked. And he never stopped. He kept learning and kept studying.
An incredible inspiration.
The first few pages were a bit of a technical read but it got easier as the book progressed. And some sections came around to that same dullness. I bought Isaacson's "Einstein" because of this but hope it's not as dry.
The book goes from birth to death, discussing his family, patrons, assistants, friends and lovers. It even discusses his name "Da Vinci" and how it was used, became used, and progressed.
We've all seen the cinema depictions of Da Vinci but I don't ever recall hearing about what he looked like as he came to fame. From the book, it sounds like (and I had to think of an actor to relay this to my wife) the closest thing would be Matthew McConaughey, which still floors me to think about.
He viewed himself as more of an engineer "that also paints" more than anything. He was discovering things years before others. The way the heart works, 450 years before the rest of the world.
Discoveries before Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, and more. He was chosen by King Francis I to design an entire city. The roads, waterways, all of it.
Everything was just "wow." He wasn't vain, he didn't do things for money, didn't publish a lot for publicity, notoriety, fame or fortune. He was just curious and wanted to know how things worked. And he never stopped. He kept learning and kept studying.
An incredible inspiration.
Highly enjoyable throughout, and, as I encountered this volume as an audiobook - to hold a reader/listener's attention for 17+ hours is no easy feat! I did think that the book's narrative suffered slightly from overly repetitive emphasising of Leonardo's powers of observation. They were, undoubtably, one of the major contributions to his work and status as one of the greatest thinkers of humanity, but the point becomes a bit grating when it is mentioned every single chapter again and again.
I also think that the author could have mentioned the comparisons between LDV and Steve Jobs less often. I think it is interesting once or twice, but this becomes rather self serving after the fifth comparison when one considers that he wrote biographies of both.
Otherwise, a fascinating glimpse into the mind and surroundings of one of the world's great minds, and a brilliantly evocative portrayal of renaissance history.
I also think that the author could have mentioned the comparisons between LDV and Steve Jobs less often. I think it is interesting once or twice, but this becomes rather self serving after the fifth comparison when one considers that he wrote biographies of both.
Otherwise, a fascinating glimpse into the mind and surroundings of one of the world's great minds, and a brilliantly evocative portrayal of renaissance history.
Procrastinator genius. I have a new found interest in Leonardo. Not Isaacson's best but the subject sold the book.
This was not a quick read, nor was it meant to be. Take the time to observe the illustrations with the art, Math, and science presented in them. This is a book to savor.
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
A great detailed biography on a genius! It was great to learn the stories behind his paintings, but also all his scientific research that most of the world doesn’t know him for. A recommended read!!
Walter Isaacson just made me add three more huge books to my reading list, but after reading this biography, I'm really curious about what he's got to say about Einstein, Franklin and Jobs (who, to be honest, gets to be on the list only due to the fact that he was the only one who was available for personal interviews during the writing of his biography).
Exceptionally written and read on audio. I will have to borrow a paper copy to view the artwork.
Brilliant man. I wish I’d read this prior to going to Florence.