Customer Reviews

Leonardo: Discovering the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Early in his biography, author Serge Bramly describes the famous self-portrait of Leonardo done in red chalk. The face, at an angle neither facing the viewer nor in profile, is lined with care. Disheveled hair falls to the man's shoulders from a balding head. The lower lip pouts out and the receding upper lip hints at missing teeth. We are left with the impression of a man pondering his life as he approaches his end.

So much for an introduction. But what do we know factually about Leonardo da Vinci?

As primary sources we have quite a lot. We have his many notebooks filled with sketches of facial expressions, of anatomical studies, of mechanical drawings along with descriptions of the mechanics of waterways, of war machines, and the working out of mathematical problems. We have rough drafts of essays he meant to publish or of business letters he sent and of his household budgets.

We have his will, and the provisions he made for friends and relatives. We also have documents from his family, friends, and patrons. His illegitimate birth is nevertheless proudly recorded in his grandfather's diary; Leonardo was his first grandchild. We have the account of a trial for sodomy brought against a young Leonardo and some of his friends, quite possibly for political reasons. We have invoices and expenses for commissioned works and letters from clients complaining of his slow progress. We have records of a law suit with his relatives concerning the inheritance from a beloved uncle.

We also have many secondary sources, including a sixteenth century biography that set Leonardo's hagiography for centuries to come. Leonardo was never out of fashion, and always recognized as the quintessential Renaissance man.

From all this Bramly pieces together a coherent account of Leonardo's life and an intimate portrait of his personality. He was born in a small village but died an honoured guest in a king's castle. He played in the fields as a child, but apprenticed and lived most of his life in cities.

Leonardo never married and he was probably homosexual but with equal probability he most likely wasn't too interested in sex, possibly due to that law suit for sodomy and despite the fact that Italy at the time was rather tolerant. From his accounts we know he spent money on nice clothes; he was a bit of a dandy. He was a vegetarian and didn't like seeing animals caged or mistreated. From his planned projects and his submissions, we know he was ambitious. From his legal problems with his relatives, we know his illegitimacy troubled him. Again Italy was tolerant of out-of-wedlock children, but the medical and legal professions were closed to them. We know this chafed at Leonardo that and his successful father, an equally ambitious man who left the hamlet of Vinci to re-establish his family lost prominence as notaries, apprenticed him to a craftsman for lack of options. Lucky for us, if not for Leonardo.

An absolutely wonderful book and a must read for anyone interested in the man.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

this man is an excellent artist. he has his own style of painting, and that's what like most about him. i have two of his drawings in my house. they just bring out my whole house.