Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by jill
Becoming Leonardo: An Exploded View of the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci by Mike Lankford
3.0
This book is the most unusual biography I’ve ever read. Lankford looks at a person about whom we know much (he left behind a lifetime of notebooks, and was profiled by Vasari, a contemporary), but also little (there is scant information out there about his daily life, for instance). Lankford fills in the gaps with speculation and imagination. When Leonardo left Rome and headed to France- might he have stopped by Florence to visit his friend Machiavelli? And if so, what would they have talked about, and how would the conversation have gone? Lankford has ideas and he wants to share them. Unfortunately, there is a blurred line between fact and imagination throughout the book, and it’s unclear how much of this portrait of Leonardo can be kept for truth.
Where Lankford succeeds is in giving a sense of some of the historical context in which Leonardo lived, for instance, the continuous violence and warring, the much shorter life expectancy, and the need for Leonardo constantly to have and please his patrons in order to make a living. Overall, 3.5 stars: an interesting read but I’d be so curious to compare this with a more traditional biography of Leonardo.
Where Lankford succeeds is in giving a sense of some of the historical context in which Leonardo lived, for instance, the continuous violence and warring, the much shorter life expectancy, and the need for Leonardo constantly to have and please his patrons in order to make a living. Overall, 3.5 stars: an interesting read but I’d be so curious to compare this with a more traditional biography of Leonardo.