| Title | : | Leonardo da Vinci: A Life From Beginning to End (Biographies of Painters) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 48 |
| Publication | : | Published November 13, 2016 |
Creativity is in our bones. It is found in our very DNA, something not known to
Leonardo da Vinci: A Life From Beginning to End (Biographies of Painters) Reviews
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Having read many Hourly History books, I had an idea what to expect. However, this book on da Vinci differs from the rest.
Judging from the writing style, “Leonardo da Vinci, A Life From Beginning to End” appears to have been written for a younger audience, perhaps junior high age. As such, it is a good introduction to da Vinci for young readers who don’t know many of Leonardo’s accomplishments past the Mona Lisa. Other readers who are somewhat familiar with da Vinci may find this book lacking.
In a small book like this one, the author must make decisions and sacrifices. I would have preferred the ruminations over da Vinci’s sex life would have been left out, thus permitting additional information concerning some of his ideas and inventions. There is much that is not included (such as some of the inventions he imagined which didn’t come to fruition until centuries later). The author did include an extensive history of da Vinci’s early life and his accomplishments as an artist.
Chapter Nine (Facts about Leonardo da Vinci) was interesting, a potpourri of information. This was my favorite part of the book, although I wish it would have been longer than two pages.
Bottom line: Great book for those who know little about da Vinci, but not enough meat for people who have knowledge of the many accomplishments this man fit into his lifetime. Three-and-a-half stars. -
Very insightful about this Genius...he was so ahead of his time.
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Excellent informative book about a great painter, idealist, inventor and after all a great mentor.
This book has aroused my interest in the study of life of our beloved Da Vinci, painter of great Mona Lisa and the last supper fresco. The poly maths like him, haven’t born in large number in this world. Our society is very thankful to such people.
He has contributed significantly in the fields of aeronautics and other sciences.
There a hundreds and thousands of such plans which haven’t been put to work till now.
He has also remain the president of great secret society of priory of sions which is believed to protect the holy grail or sangreal to this date.
A must read biography of our great person who would have invented aero plane long before the invention of planes through wright brothers hadn’t he been short lived. -
Everyone knows Leonardo da Vinci as the painter of The Last Supper and that placid woman with the mystical half smile. The Mona Lisa. Few, however, know about the man. Born on April 15, 1452, as the bastard son of Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, a wealthy local patron, Leonardo di ser Piero could, fortunately, profit from his paternal heritage. Although his formal education was sparse, he had a natural curiosity grew continually throughout his life. Being left-handed, he wrote almost everything in mirror-image writing (from right to left) and continued this for the rest of his life.
Drawing and painting are what he is best known for but that is just the visible tip of the iceberg of his talents. He served as an inspiration to artists of his time and had a lasting influence on their works and art development over the next five hundred years. In comparison to his contemporaries, Raphael and Michelangelo, he created few paintings and many of those have been lost through time and war. The few works remaining are considered by many art critics as the best paintings ever made. This said it must also be noted that many of his paintings were never finished. In comparison to many of the great artists on the nineteenth century, who often completed a masterpiece in a day, da Vinci sometimes spent years before his work achieved his stringent standards.
Leonardo is the original “Renaissance Man.” He was also known as “The Vitruvian Man, due to his multi-interests and talents. He was interested in literally everything. He mastered mechanical and civil engineering, optic research, physics, hydrodynamics, chemistry, pyrotechnics, zoology, botany, geology, physiology, and geometry. In other words, his interests were so numerous and diverse, he just didn’t have the time to paint. His paintings may be the best in the world, but his greatest genius and contribution to mankind are found in his notebooks. I can only conclude that to know him is to love him.
This short biography is just a glimpse of greatness. I always pictured him as an old man with a long gray beard. Now I see him as more, much more. He was a man of unbelievable vision and by reading this book to its conclusion, I would be surprised if a flame isn’t sparked by your imagination and the desire to learn more burns in your soul. -
Da Vinci was a polymath. He was a scientist, artist, architect, teacher, and many more professions. His life was big, and being every detail of his history would take a book of 500+ pages. This book somehow manages to take all the major events in about 40 pages. Even though there were many instances left out, I could atleast learn about his life, fame, personal life, and death.
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A concise and an brief account of Leonardo da Vinci. It can be read in one sitting.
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(Kindle Ed. pp. 30-31)
Today, Leonardo’s notebooks have found their way into some of the world’s most prestigious collections. Some are housed in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle in England, the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. The Codex Leicester and a collection of Leonardo’s scientific writings are owned privately by Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. None of Leonardo’s writings were published during his lifetime, and many seemed to be prepped for just that.
(Kindle Ed. p. 3)
Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci...
That's why he's been known as "da Vinci (of/ from Vinci)!" I had never thought about it until I read this book.
- You will find the book definitely intriguing and super informative despite its short length for a fast reading.
- Author's thoughtfulness for history beginners are found here and there, too.
- The book starts with a fine opening and ends with a great closing.
It's a five-star opening line:
(Kindle Ed. p. 4)
...The Black Death, which had ravaged Europe earlier in the fourteenth century, set the stage for the transition from the Middle Ages to a time of rebirth...
(Kindle Ed. p. 2)
By the time of his death, Leonardo had seemed to capture the very heart of Europe. Everyone knew who he was—and this in an age when communication was slim to none. Quite an accomplishment for someone born a bastard in a remote Italian village no one had heard of. In time, he would become the favored one of popes, princes, and kings.
He was a lucky man that he was born like a century after the Black Death had ended, which was the perfect timing for the people of a new idea called "Humanism" without being labeled as heretic or anything.
The book starts with fairly a good enough entr'/intr'o-duct'ion. I've read the 2016-edition, and it just needs a little bit of final touch (editing) to make the lines sound more complete as something is still missing among the lines.
The best about reading this book is that it makes you think, which is the very first purpose of reading.
(Kindle Ed. pp. 34-35)
Perhaps because he knew so much about proportion and perspective, these interests naturally gave way to other more practical areas like engineering and inventing. He knew all there was to know about mechanical principles. He understood perfectly the ideas behind pulleys, cranks, gears, cantilevering, leverage, rack and pinion gears, lubrication systems, and bearings. To go along with all of these principles, he understood all there was to know about momentum, centripetal force, and friction. For all that, his notebooks remained unpublished during his lifetime and for many years after.
(Kindle Ed. p. 41)
Leonardo da Vinci, for all he came to know and understand in the world, was not formally educated. Being an illegitimate son, his father felt there was no need to educate him well early on. So he was mostly home schooled while living in his grandfather’s house. Traditional subjects like Latin and Greek remained a mystery to him until he taught himself these things later in life.
(Kindle Ed. pp. 8-9)
...Leonardo was soon enrolled in school in Florence. Leonardo showed no interest in his classes. His teachers would fail him in a subject; often he would learn what he could, then abruptly drop the class himself. One of the things Leonardo loved to do was mirror-writing. Because he was left-handed, he would write from right to left on a page, with each letter written in reverse. He used this method throughout his life. When not in school or wondering about his classwork, Leonardo loved Florence. He often walked far from home, exploring gardens, fountains, and all the beauties of the city. Every little thing he found, from bird eggs to insects dried on pins, he kept from his father’s sight, lest the man disapprove even more...One of the things Leonardo saw in abundance in Florence were books—which was very different than his home in Vinci. There were books everywhere on every subject. Not only did Leonardo devour books about the ancients such as Plato and Aristotle, but there were books and maps about the world and everything in it.
A typical outcast: He really was with different angles than others seeing the world, which must have been the very base for someone who would make a difference for the world.
(Kindle Ed. pp. 9-12)
Piero may not have been the most attentive father, but he did recognize how his son took an avid interest in artwork. Even though paper was hard to come by and expensive, Piero made sure Leonardo had as much paper as he needed. He also believed if the boy didn’t become a notary, perhaps he would make it as an artist—little did he know. Wasn’t it wonderful that Piero’s employer was Cosimo de’ Medici? Here was one of the wealthiest men in all of Europe, someone who loved the arts, and was a favorite in the worlds of education, art, and architecture. All over Florence, stunning pieces of art and sculpture had been created at Cosimo’s behest...Once Piero’s father died, he now turned his full attention to his son Leonardo. Piero discovered some of Leonardo’s drawings in his room and took them to his good friend Verrocchio. He immediately agreed that Leonardo was talented and wanted to have him study as an apprentice. Leonardo was ecstatic; it was a dream come true...When Leonardo arrived at Verrocchio’s workshop, he was joined by others who were already working under the master. One of these men was Pietro Perugino, who painted the fresco known as The Delivery of the Keys in Rome’s Sistine Chapel. The other was Sandro Botticelli, who painted The Birth of Venus 20 years later...Verrocchio was one of the best-known artists in all of Florence. His name, Verrocchio, meaning “true eye,” certainly proved true when it came to Leonardo. Because of who he was, Verrocchio received many commissions for work all throughout Florence. One of Verrocchio’s paintings is Tobias and the Angel. The archangel Raphael is actually a likeness of Leonardo. Leonardo even contributed to the painting with a fish held by Tobias and a fluffy dog at the angel’s feet...In 1472, when Leonardo was 20 years old, his apprenticeship was over. He registered in the Guild of Painters in Florence. Now he too was a master painter. He could, at last, leave his unpaid days of being an apprentice behind him and accept any work that was commissioned to him. Leonardo’s father set him up in his own workshop, but for the time being, the young artist continued working with Verrocchio...
Another reason why I call Leonardo da Vinci a lucky man: This is the critical condition to real'ize that difference. Most of the outcasts disappear quietly or have to find their patrons themselves (Sometimes they become their own patrons with their own successful rise in their second career).
(Kindle Ed. p. 33)
Leonardo, in his anatomical studies, found it hard to believe in the theory of the four humors. Because of his dissections, Leonardo was able to ascertain that where these humors were said to be located were not correct. He rightly stated that the humors were not located in the heart or the liver and that the heart was the center of the circulatory system. Leonardo da Vinci was the first scientist to define both cirrhosis of the liver and atherosclerosis...
One thing's certain: He would never have found that all out if he had studied them at school.
(Kindle Ed. pp. 27-32)
To make his paintings and portraits come more fully alive, Leonardo began keeping notes on all manner of anatomy and scientific studies. Renaissance humanism did not recognize any differences between sciences and the arts; they were all one and the same. No one would have looked at Leonardo’s engineering and science sketches and thought they were unnecessary or adding little value to their discoveries. Everything that is found in Leonardo’s notebooks can be found in his paintings, too. When it came to seriously studying the human body, Leonardo began looking into anatomy. He dissected human and animal bodies during the 1480s. There are drawings he made of the human heart, vascular system, sex organs, bones and muscular compositions, and a fetus in utero, which are some of the first drawings on human record. Over the years, Leonardo kept notes and drawings that amounted to over 13,000 pages. Everything he observed he would write about; his daily life was filled with observations about the natural world...Because Leonardo saw no divide between science and art, he viewed them with the same importance. He believed that by studying science, this would make him a better artist...True to his word, da Vinci also studied botany, zoology, geology, physics, hydraulics, and aeronautics, the latter being remarkable as this was an age where there were no airplanes or running engines...Leonardo’s drawing of the Vitruvian Man perfectly parallels his understanding of proportion, an artistic measurement that he had been studying since he was a student of Verrocchio’s. This famous image demonstrates how art and mathematics were perfectly blended during the years of the Renaissance. This picture is also a compilation of how man relates to nature, something which wouldn’t impact the world for centuries. Leonardo’s drawing of the Vitruvian Man shows how he observed the ancient texts of Classical Architecture and his observations of human bodies. When drawing the circle and the square, he correctly deduces that the square cannot have the same center as the circle, so the navel is placed lower than it should be. Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man is used to show the symmetry of not only the human body but of the universe as a whole. The arm and leg positions create sixteen different poses. The pose of the figure with his arms out and his legs together seems to be drawn in the square, while the “spread-eagle” position is seen as drawn in the circle. All of the notes on the page are in mirror-image...He deeply studied the mechanical functions of skeletons and how the muscles impact on their systems. This was an early precursor to modern biomechanics...In his dealings with science, Leonardo came at it from a strictly theoretical viewpoint; his observations were very detail-oriented but did not include public experiments, only small ones he attempted himself...most of his scientific findings were ignored by his contemporaries.
The Renaissance artists? Yes, I give them credit for their contributions to the world. Not that all art forms I appreciate though. Honestly, some they call arts are really useless except to those who create them.
The book is a good quality with "not that many" errors:
(Kindle Ed. p. 3)
...It was common for many prominent families in early Renaissance Italy to bring in women from Eastern Europe of the Middle East...
Correction: ...to bring in women from Eastern Europe "or" the Middle East...
(Kindle Ed. p. 18)
...In his hand, Jerome holds a rock which he has been beating his chest as penance...
Correction: ...Jerome holds a rock "with which" he has been beating his chest as penance...
(Kindle Ed. pp. 19-20)
...In The Virgin of the Rocks, the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus are depicted along with the infant John the Baptist. The setting is amongst the rocks, hence the name of the painting. John the Baptist is seated next to an angel who is there to protect them, and this is where his family met the Holy Family on their way to Egypt. The infant John recognizes the Christ Child as he points towards him. This painting demonstrates how beautiful the figures are as they all, including the Virgin, kneel before Jesus...
This is not a typo, but a mis-description. Something's not correct with the author's description about the two infants' positions.
Take a look at the
two paintings attached to my Amazon.com review: The first one is displayed at Musée de Louvre, and the second at the National Gallery, London.
(Kindle Ed. p. 37)
...He had available to him a limited range of materials with which to work...
What? Unscramble the line lol
"He had to work with a limited range of materials available to him."
Despite some errors listed here, the book describes well the master pieces of Leonardo da Vinci in "artistic" point of view along with both the "historical and personal" backgrounds of each work.
Lastly, the book closes with a five-star con-clos'/ -clus'ion:
(Kindle Ed. pp. 43-44)
Much of his success came from a culture which would rise out of the ashes of the Great Plague. Europe had been devastated by disease and death to the tune of millions of people succumbing to a plague the likes of which had never been seen before. After the plague had ravaged Europe, it was as if a great cloud was lifted, and new ways of not only doing things but of thinking were making their way across the civilized world. The spirit of the day made its way across Italy as well, where the makings of the great intellectual and scientific discoveries initially found only in monasteries and universities were unleashed into a culture willing to soak it up. Where once artists and sculptors were restricted by what was required of them in Medieval art, now they found themselves more willing to experiment and to delve ever deeper into what made up the human psyche. There truly was a new world emerging, and it was being created by those most willing to challenge, to push the limits, to think beyond their world in the present moment.
(Kindle Ed. p. 45)
Once long ago, Leonardo is credited with saying, “You have no dominion greater or lesser than that over yourself.” No words could be truer. He lived this motto to the fullest, ever learning, ever searching, never letting a moment of his life go by to waste. From such humble beginnings, where in his time his life would have been given no credence to be anything more than an illegitimate son, Leonardo da Vinci went on to astound them all. And he astounds us still, far away into the twenty-first century. -
hourly history books are great to read in-between dense books, very short and very informative, they can also serve as introductory books or save you from boredom in transportation or boring lectures.
Da vinci is a fascinating character to me, i see him as the real life Dumbledore and it gives him a magical aura in my imagination :'D i enjoy anything i read about him. -
Story of a multi-faceted personality like Leonardo Da Vinci cannot possibly be described in as few pages as has been done by Hourly History. Yet again, the author brings forth all the dimensions of this icon of the Renaissance in all its glory.
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Nice short book abaout the men whom i admire most.
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Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most intriguing people in history. I've always been fascinated with his life. So it's no surprise that I ended up really enjoying this short book. I even learned a few more things about him that I didn't know. I loved that.
My favorite chapters were 'Early Beginnings and the Italian Renaissance' and 'Facts about Leonardo da Vinci.' I've been very much intrigued about his early life so I thought that first chapter was great to start with. The facts about him were also very interesting to say the least.
It's a quick read so of course it's perfect if you want a quick read to learn a little more about Leonardo's life or if you're in between books (like I am at the moment.)
Overall, Leonardo da Vinci: A Life From Beginning to End was a book I really enjoyed. As usual with a 'Hourly History' book I'd really recommend it to any reader! -
A very short work to capture all there could be to know about Maestro, but enlightening nonetheless. Maybe it's due to the lack of knowledge about the man, except for writings from Vassari and his own sketchbooks.
The most wonderful part of da Vinci's personality is his inability to see art and science differently. Being good at science, especially human anatomy made him a great artist, someone capable to paint The Vitruvian Man. Being a great artist helped him with the knowledge of proportions to build scientific machines, including the flying machine that could be propelled by turning a rotor by hands. It might have worked, it might not have, but he dreamt ahead. He is not only the father of tens of science fields, he marks the beginning of and represented what came to be the Italian Renaissance, pulling Europe out of the Middle Ages and the Great Plague. -
Don't expect much.
This reads like a high school senior year history paper...And that's probably an insult to seniors. It does include a synopsis of Leonardo's life, but don't expect any ground breaking commentary. Even so, the greatest weakness is not in the content but in the quality of the writing. This is a great speed read, and a perfect reference book for middle school students, but not substantive enough to keep an advanced reader occupied for long! -
A brief biography that can be easily read in one sitting. It provides an overview of the intense life of Da Vinci, whose studies cover so many different fields (sculpture, painting, architecture, engineering, music, anatomy, etc). I would suggest to everyone who doesn't know much about this masterful artist to read it, especially before visiting Italy.
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Really good book. I would recommend this book to other readers. It does read like a high school easy but has a lot of good information.
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Leonardo da Vinci is such a phenomenal human, how can a book that describes him be dull.
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A short biography the famous artist of the 15th and 16th century, Leonardo daVinci. It's length may not be enough to satisfy every reader but it suffices as a "snack" Of a reading time. Nicely written too.
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Informative
Short but impactful. Style of writing quite factual. Nothing complicated. The subject itself is so fascinating that it is an enjoyable read. -
Great book! I have read about Leonardo Da Vinci, but this book tells more than any other.
The book gives the glimpse of life during Italian Renaissance era.
The best thing about 'hour history series' is that it is totally based on facts (not opinions) & is short enough to complete in a sitting :)
I am glad that the author talked about the paintings Da Vinci did, and the description is quite remarkable.
Briefly yet vividly described paintings in this book are
The last supper
Monalisa
The Vitruvian Man (my favorite)
Da Vinci was a genius! I don't think the world ever saw a polymath like Vinci. The world didn't get to know about Vinci's scientific work as it wasn't written in latin. (at that time scientists used to use latin for such works)
Now we know from decoding his 4 diaries that he knew things like:
why the sky is blue
Valley's are carved by mountains
Sea level can fall to reveal mountains
Da Vinci made remarkable scientific sketches, He was a true visionary, some of the sketches the book tells about are:
A bridge : da Vinci made a bridge for a king but the king declined arguing that the bridge sketch is absurd. In 2002, Architecture tested the bridge design as sketched by Da Vinci & it worked!
Diving suit : The suit have been created from the sketch & it worked well
Parachute
Paraglider
Contact lenses
& interestingly He was a firm believer that Earth is older than what the bible says! (In those days, saying a thing against bible used to mean treason)
At the end, we all should thank "Giorgio Vasari", whatever we know today about lives of great artists of Italian Renaissance like Leonardo or Michelangelo is due to him. He spent his life documenting the life of others!
My Favourite Quotes of Da Vinci:
"you have no dominion greater or lesser than over yourself"
"Learning never exhausts the mind."
"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding."
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Having read many Hourly History books, I had an idea what to expect. However, this book on da Vinci differs from the rest.
Judging from the writing style, “Leonardo da Vinci, A Life From Beginning to End” appears to have been written for a younger audience, perhaps junior high age. As such, it is a good introduction to da Vinci for young readers who don’t know many of Leonardo’s accomplishments past the Mona Lisa. Other readers who are somewhat familiar with da Vinci may find this book lacking.
In a small book like this one, the author must make decisions and sacrifices. I would have preferred the ruminations over da Vinci’s sex life would have been left out, thus permitting additional information concerning some of his ideas and inventions. There is much that is not included (such as some of the inventions he imagined which didn’t come to fruition until centuries later). The author did include an extensive history of da Vinci’s early life and his accomplishments as an artist.
Chapter Nine (Facts about Leonardo da Vinci) was interesting, a potpourri of information. This was my favorite part of the book, although I wish it would have been longer than two pages.
Bottom line: Great book for those who know little about da Vinci, but not enough meat for people who have knowledge of the many accomplishments this man fit into his lifetime. -
Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath, which is something that resonated with me. He emphasised on proportion, perspective and anatomy, which is evident in his artistic works.
As a reader, I enjoyed learning about how he viewed art and other subjects. He saw art, science, math and engineering as inter connected subjects which is what makes him a well informed person, a testimony of an intellectual mind.
I am looking forward to read more about his life & work through the eyes of Walter Isaacson. -
This was quite interesting. Before reading this, about all I knew about Leonardo da Vinci was he painted the Mona Lisa. His mother was a peasant girl and not married to his wealthy father and he therefore had no last name, although he was known throughout the region as Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (meaning Leonardo, son of Messer Piero from Vinci.) How very interesting that Leonardo loved to do mirror writing! He was very innovative in many way and had quite a few scientific conclusions and inventions. My conclusion is I learned quite a bit by reading this.
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Leonardo da Vinci: A Life From Beginning to End;
This Hourly History edition is a concise and an extremely brief account of the great visionary. This book might look a little informative for people having been acquainted with Vinci only to the level of Monalisa or the Vitruvian man. However, for people having more that an amateurish interest on this man; both his life and work, this book will definitely prove be drab. -
Very good 46 pages short book. This book doesn’t really give a deep insight into Leandro Da Vinci’s life and art but it surely creates a deep desire for the reader to learn more about the great Leanardo... I’d be happy to recommend and gift this book to young readers.
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biografia do Da Vinci sem fotos das obras??
