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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Had I not attended a Panel discussion organized with Walter Isaacson for the promotion of this book, I don't know if I would have ever read it. I'm not a painter, and I tried to stay away from Physics in school and college as much as I could, and it turns out these were prominent areas of interest for Leonardo among others. In spite of that, I was able to enjoy the narrative in the book even when Walter is trying to explain how Leonardo's curious mind worked out the foundations (and probably even advanced matters) of the disciplines of optics, anatomy, mechanics, hydraulics, etc. centuries before they were invented. Halfway through the book, once you've familiarised yourself with Leonardo, you wonder how he would feel about us trying to understand him with a curiosity which is comparable, if not equivalent (and definitely not more), to his inquisitiveness about all things nature has created.
Before reading this book, I knew him as the famous painter who painted the Last Supper and Mona Lisa, but once I realised the intricacies of the process that he underwent while he painted these and others, it helped me appreciate him so much more. Like Walter points out, Leonardo was a genius and not through some god gifted IQ, but by his proclivities and probably through his comfort with his procrastination. He raised questions and went through quite tedious and rigorous processes to answer them himself. The fact that he never wanted to relinquish any work of art he started and in this process, he left a few pieces unfinished makes his genious more believable and relatable. You might end up wishing that he had the discipline to finish and publish his treatises, but if he had let himself be engaged in that, he probably won't have discovered so much.
You also have to appreciate Walter's diligence with the research that he did for this book and how he stitches together Leonardo's life in a chronological yet otherwise categorical way. It must have been so hard for him to struggle through all the obscure references which would have been all over the timeline, sometimes containing exaggerated or even false claims, and then weave all these discrete evidences into an ingenious and coherent story such that the reader can almost apparate in that time and place where the author is playing with the characters. There's a strong desire now to actually see Florence and Milan, and Louvre as well. This book has also developed a better sense of Italian Renaissance in me, so it would be accurate to say that it's been both an edifying and an aesthetic read. Hoping to read another book by Walter!
Before reading this book, I knew him as the famous painter who painted the Last Supper and Mona Lisa, but once I realised the intricacies of the process that he underwent while he painted these and others, it helped me appreciate him so much more. Like Walter points out, Leonardo was a genius and not through some god gifted IQ, but by his proclivities and probably through his comfort with his procrastination. He raised questions and went through quite tedious and rigorous processes to answer them himself. The fact that he never wanted to relinquish any work of art he started and in this process, he left a few pieces unfinished makes his genious more believable and relatable. You might end up wishing that he had the discipline to finish and publish his treatises, but if he had let himself be engaged in that, he probably won't have discovered so much.
You also have to appreciate Walter's diligence with the research that he did for this book and how he stitches together Leonardo's life in a chronological yet otherwise categorical way. It must have been so hard for him to struggle through all the obscure references which would have been all over the timeline, sometimes containing exaggerated or even false claims, and then weave all these discrete evidences into an ingenious and coherent story such that the reader can almost apparate in that time and place where the author is playing with the characters. There's a strong desire now to actually see Florence and Milan, and Louvre as well. This book has also developed a better sense of Italian Renaissance in me, so it would be accurate to say that it's been both an edifying and an aesthetic read. Hoping to read another book by Walter!
Isaacson’s bio focuses on the 7200 surviving pages of Leonardo’s journals; incredibly, this is estimated to be only a quarter of his written output. Leonardo was notorious for his incomplete paintings and these notes suggest that he was easily distracted and interested in everything - geometry, optics, water currents, weaponry, perfecting measurement, plants, animals, even pranks and trickery.
When a distraction took hold, Leonardo did not dabble. An interest in anatomy lead him to hospitals where he could dissect bodies. He opened the chest of a live pig to observe its beating heart. He helped pioneer the scientific method by using experimentation to prove out hypotheses. He spent hours doodling geometric shapes, theorizing about methods of calculating the area of a circle. Whatever the topic, Leonardo wrote himself todo lists and spent pages completing his self-assigned research.
Leonardo’s art was built on the same meticulous habits, and his perfectionism probably prevented him from finishing more works. Leonardo notes a variety of techniques for achieving realism in paintings, these include accounting for the angle of view, and “sfumato” the blending of colors in out-of-focus areas of the painting. His major works each get a chapter of description and I found myself zooming in on painting details to better understand the commentary. The book even contains a chapter that amounts to a detective story, as an art collector attempts to verify a previously unknown drawing as being a Leonardo.
Readers only get a small glimpse on Leonardo’s personal life, as he rarely wrote about himself. We learn very little about his entourage beyond shopping lists and expenses associated with the household. A couple sentences are the extent of the writing on his father’s death. As a result, the book can sometimes feel more like a resumé of accomplishments than a narrative. Fortunately, most everything Leonardo did was interesting.
When a distraction took hold, Leonardo did not dabble. An interest in anatomy lead him to hospitals where he could dissect bodies. He opened the chest of a live pig to observe its beating heart. He helped pioneer the scientific method by using experimentation to prove out hypotheses. He spent hours doodling geometric shapes, theorizing about methods of calculating the area of a circle. Whatever the topic, Leonardo wrote himself todo lists and spent pages completing his self-assigned research.
Leonardo’s art was built on the same meticulous habits, and his perfectionism probably prevented him from finishing more works. Leonardo notes a variety of techniques for achieving realism in paintings, these include accounting for the angle of view, and “sfumato” the blending of colors in out-of-focus areas of the painting. His major works each get a chapter of description and I found myself zooming in on painting details to better understand the commentary. The book even contains a chapter that amounts to a detective story, as an art collector attempts to verify a previously unknown drawing as being a Leonardo.
Readers only get a small glimpse on Leonardo’s personal life, as he rarely wrote about himself. We learn very little about his entourage beyond shopping lists and expenses associated with the household. A couple sentences are the extent of the writing on his father’s death. As a result, the book can sometimes feel more like a resumé of accomplishments than a narrative. Fortunately, most everything Leonardo did was interesting.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Humbling read. Makes you reflect on life and where it might take you. No matter how great of a person you are, you will succumb to age and time, a realization Leonardo made at a quite young age. Highly recommended
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
My second Isaacson book, and I continue to enjoy his biographical style. A majority of the book is based off of Leonardo's prolific notebooks kept throughout his life and cover the varied curiosities and pursuits of this original Renaissance man. Engaging and well worth the read.
Kể từ khi bắt đầu làm việc trong lĩnh vực art design thì tôi bắt đầu thích tìm hiểu về các nhân vật nổi tiếng trong giới nghệ thuật. Leonardo Da Vinci là cuốn tiểu sử thứ 02 của Walter Isaacson mà tôi đọc. Và nó tốn của tôi một tháng trời để hoàn thành quyển sách đồ sộ này :))
Isaacson sử dụng những ghi chép từ sổ tay của Leonardo Da Vinci làm xương sống cho cuốn sách này chứ không phải các tác phẩm nghệ thuật của ông >> có lý do
Sách giúp người đọc có cái nhìn hợp lý hơn về Leonardo Da Vinci. Kiểu trước giờ tôi cũng như tất cả mọi người, xem Leonardo là thiên tài trời phú ấy (một phần là do bị bombarded bởi các video tóm tắt 10p trên mạng), thì sau khi đọc quyển này t có cách nhìn mới hơn về ông (dù vẫn nghĩ ông là thiên tài). Ông cũng là người bình thường, cũng có sai lầm, cũng phải lo những chuyện vụn vặt như người khác, cũng thất vọng về bản thân, cũng trễ deadline, cũng nói xấu người khác... Cái làm ông khác biệt là ở tinh thần học hỏi, tò mò về mọi thứ (nhưng ông vẫn là thiên tài). Những chi tiết thì trong sách sẽ giải thích rõ hơn, rất rõ là đằng khác >> tóm lại là mấy cái này người bình thường, rất bình thường cũng làm được (tò mò, quan sát, ghi chép, hỏi), quan trọng là mình có chịu làm hay không :))
Có ai mà ngắm nhìn chuồn chuồn kỹ đến mức thấy được hai cánh sau đập chậm hơn hai cánh trước không (hoặc ngược lại, t không nhớ chính xác...), hay tìm cách mô tả lưỡi của chim gõ kiến không. Chắc là hiếm lắm
Sách là cuộc hành trình từ thời thơ ấu ở Vinci -> học nghề ở Florence -> phát triển ở Milan -> trở về Florence -> phiêu bạt qua Rome -> dừng chân ở Paris của Leonardo Da Vinci. Và tôi không biết bằng cách nào mà Walter Isaacson có thể hệ thống được khối lượng thông tin khổng lồ cách thời hiện đại 5 thế kỷ một cách mạch lạc, liên kết, xâu chuỗi đến thế. Ông còn giúp tôi có cảm giác được quay trở về những buổi học văn ngày xưa vì ông mô tả mấy tác phẩm của Da Vinci như làm một bài văn phân tích nghệ thuật, và tôi vẫn lơ đãng, nhiều lúc ngáp ngắn ngáp dài như khi học văn. Sách có hơn 120 hình minh họa các tác phẩm / ghi chép của Leonardo Da Vinci nên người đọc cũng sẽ dễ liên tưởng hơn khi nghiền ngẫm quyển này
Tôi note gần 300 dòng trong quyển này nhưng tôi cho rằng thế vẫn là chưa đủ
Isaacson sử dụng những ghi chép từ sổ tay của Leonardo Da Vinci làm xương sống cho cuốn sách này chứ không phải các tác phẩm nghệ thuật của ông >> có lý do
Sách giúp người đọc có cái nhìn hợp lý hơn về Leonardo Da Vinci. Kiểu trước giờ tôi cũng như tất cả mọi người, xem Leonardo là thiên tài trời phú ấy (một phần là do bị bombarded bởi các video tóm tắt 10p trên mạng), thì sau khi đọc quyển này t có cách nhìn mới hơn về ông (dù vẫn nghĩ ông là thiên tài). Ông cũng là người bình thường, cũng có sai lầm, cũng phải lo những chuyện vụn vặt như người khác, cũng thất vọng về bản thân, cũng trễ deadline, cũng nói xấu người khác... Cái làm ông khác biệt là ở tinh thần học hỏi, tò mò về mọi thứ (nhưng ông vẫn là thiên tài). Những chi tiết thì trong sách sẽ giải thích rõ hơn, rất rõ là đằng khác >> tóm lại là mấy cái này người bình thường, rất bình thường cũng làm được (tò mò, quan sát, ghi chép, hỏi), quan trọng là mình có chịu làm hay không :))
Có ai mà ngắm nhìn chuồn chuồn kỹ đến mức thấy được hai cánh sau đập chậm hơn hai cánh trước không (hoặc ngược lại, t không nhớ chính xác...), hay tìm cách mô tả lưỡi của chim gõ kiến không. Chắc là hiếm lắm
Sách là cuộc hành trình từ thời thơ ấu ở Vinci -> học nghề ở Florence -> phát triển ở Milan -> trở về Florence -> phiêu bạt qua Rome -> dừng chân ở Paris của Leonardo Da Vinci. Và tôi không biết bằng cách nào mà Walter Isaacson có thể hệ thống được khối lượng thông tin khổng lồ cách thời hiện đại 5 thế kỷ một cách mạch lạc, liên kết, xâu chuỗi đến thế. Ông còn giúp tôi có cảm giác được quay trở về những buổi học văn ngày xưa vì ông mô tả mấy tác phẩm của Da Vinci như làm một bài văn phân tích nghệ thuật, và tôi vẫn lơ đãng, nhiều lúc ngáp ngắn ngáp dài như khi học văn. Sách có hơn 120 hình minh họa các tác phẩm / ghi chép của Leonardo Da Vinci nên người đọc cũng sẽ dễ liên tưởng hơn khi nghiền ngẫm quyển này
Tôi note gần 300 dòng trong quyển này nhưng tôi cho rằng thế vẫn là chưa đủ
Undeniably one of the greatest minds who ever walked the earth, Da Vinci was a longtime curious thinker. A perfectionist who possibly had more unfinished work than what's been recorded. He was never satisfied with just putting out work, it needed to meet his unbelievably high standards. As a result, we only know about the inventions and discoveries that he completed. He does have a handwritten book about all the projects he was working on that Bill Gates now own. Possibly bought for an ungodly amount of money.
Walter Isaacson continues to be my favourite biographer. To date, I've read most of his published work. There is something so readable about his writing that regardless of how massive his books are, I can finish them in no time. Engaging doesn't even come close. I can only imagine the painstaking work he put in his research. Writing a biography of someone posthumously is a feat for sure. Especially of someone with DaVinci's calibre.
This covered all the facets of DaVinci's life, including the rumour that he was gay. But the most fascinating thing about Walter's book is that he managed to somehow interpret his journals and figured out how his artwork and his inventions came about. For the famous Mona Lisa painting, it was his fascination of the smile -- not Mona Lisa's in particular but the act of smiling itself. There is almost a biological reason connecting to his work. He was interested in the facial movement and perhaps the tissues that created that famous grin/smirk.
It is also apparent in the Vitruvian Man where his curiosity lies in anatomy. He drew what he perceived to be the perfect symmetry of a man's body. The face was rumoured to be that of his lover which was also his live in assistant at the time. I love the intimate details of Leonardo's life that Isaacson included in this book. It is hard to picture a man from a few millenniums ago that has a long lasting contributions such as DaVinci. The history, the achievements especially at an age when everything seemed so primitive and archaic. Truly mind blowing, awe-inspiring, and fascinating from page one to the last.
Walter Isaacson continues to be my favourite biographer. To date, I've read most of his published work. There is something so readable about his writing that regardless of how massive his books are, I can finish them in no time. Engaging doesn't even come close. I can only imagine the painstaking work he put in his research. Writing a biography of someone posthumously is a feat for sure. Especially of someone with DaVinci's calibre.
This covered all the facets of DaVinci's life, including the rumour that he was gay. But the most fascinating thing about Walter's book is that he managed to somehow interpret his journals and figured out how his artwork and his inventions came about. For the famous Mona Lisa painting, it was his fascination of the smile -- not Mona Lisa's in particular but the act of smiling itself. There is almost a biological reason connecting to his work. He was interested in the facial movement and perhaps the tissues that created that famous grin/smirk.
It is also apparent in the Vitruvian Man where his curiosity lies in anatomy. He drew what he perceived to be the perfect symmetry of a man's body. The face was rumoured to be that of his lover which was also his live in assistant at the time. I love the intimate details of Leonardo's life that Isaacson included in this book. It is hard to picture a man from a few millenniums ago that has a long lasting contributions such as DaVinci. The history, the achievements especially at an age when everything seemed so primitive and archaic. Truly mind blowing, awe-inspiring, and fascinating from page one to the last.
There's just too much in this man's life to really dig in for one book. Felt like it could have been an entire series in order to really cover everything.