Customer Reviews

Da Vinci (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

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"Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real", p 9

The young reader will learn about Leonardo's beginnings in Vinci, the time he spent in Florence learning more about painting, his painting years in Milan and his final years of painting in France.

Leonardo's depictions were noticeable more "alive" than his Renaissance contemporaries. His use of beautiful backgrounds behind the main object of attention makes this a good choice for the young. Their attention will initially be drawn to the main figure in the painting and then will be sustained by the natural settings in the background. His paintings almost appear that they are done while the person being painted in on vacation. The young will intuitively pick up on the relaxed composure of the main figures

Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His illustration of some folks deciphering Leonardo's notes and their findings is cleverly presented.

The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.

This is the 4th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "Mike's portrait was painted by an artist who claims to be a direct descendant of ...".

The price of the book is well worth paying. The book contains the following: da Vinci's Paintings (10.5), Drawings (8) and Underpainings (2), Venezia's Illustrations - 7, Others' paintings - 1.5.

Mike Venezia's books on the greatest artists of all time are off the chain! He make his books more interesting for kids under 10. This one about Italian Renaissance artist Di Vinci is probably one of his famous ones. (Since Di Vinci is famous for his painting called the "Mona Lisa" 1503-1506). This book contains famous paintings (some with details) from Di Vinci including the deteriation of the tempera "The Last Supper" (1498), from the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Each book includes back cover illustration of Venezia. His books are small steps to learn about each artist. The series also includes Venezia's comic illustrations. In high school art history, the reader will learn more detail about the artists that the author couldn't tell you (like I did).

I often have looked for kid-oriented books about art and artists, and usually end up putting them back on the shelf. This series by Mike Venezia was a hit with me (an artist)AND my grandchildren. They're witty but not cutesy, the information in them is actually well and interestingly explained in language a child can understand, and I enjoyed reading them myself!

Mike Venezia hits all the right notes in this book. Illustrated with sketches from Leonardo's journals and samples of his paintings, children can see the artistry and the skill of Leonardo. The book also includes cartoonish illustrations depicting some of the events in Leonardo's life. The text is just right for early interest -- the pages are mostly illustrations, with seven or eight lines of text per page.

Some vocabulary: plants, insects, flowers, interested, statues, Renaissance, architect, musician, mathematician.

This book Da Vinci was a great buy and helped my son with a report he had to do for school. This book helped my son understand a more detailed book. Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists is very colorful, easy, and fun to read.

A great book not only for kids, but adults with limited knowledge of Da Vinci's work. I am not saying it is an adults book, but I as an adult enjoyed this a lot and can gain a lot in looking at it, even now as it sits in front of me. Little things like in 1482 he moved off to Milan (pg 15), or that some of his images were cut, like: Ginevra de' Benci, St. Jerome, and even the Mona Lisa (pages 26-27).

Great book, very educational.

I bought all of the books in this series for our homeschool art curriculum. They are easy to read and a fun supplement that can lead to a nice trip to the Smithsonian Gallery of Art.