Born in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci was the illegitimate son of a nobleman and a poor peasant girl. Because only legitimate children were allowed to pursue professions or study at the university, Leonardo was apprenticed to a famous artist, Andrea del Verrocchio. Although he was a gifted painter, Leonardo�s interests were not limited to art. In fact, his first patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza, originally employed Leonardo for his musical abilities. Under Ludovico�s patronage, Leonardo drew upon many of his talents, undertaking complex engineering projects and staging lavish entertainments, while continuing to impact Renaissance art. He exerted a lasting influence on painting, ushering in a new age of realism and movement in art.
While meeting the obligation to his patrons, Leonardo continued to conduct his own scientific studies through dissection and experimentation, filling thousands of notebook pages with his observations, theories, drawings, plans, lists, and philosophies. His notebooks, written from right to left in a backward script, are filled with drawings of rudimentary inventions. More sophisticated versions of many of these are in use today, including everything from airplanes, military tanks, and submarines to contact lenses, air-conditioners, and self-closing toilet lids.
During his lifetime, Leonardo�s path crossed those of an unlikely mix of characters from history, including Cesare Borgia, the pope, King Francis I of France, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Michelangelo. He created paintings that are still considered to be among the greatest in the world, including the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. Although he was denied the acceptance and love of his family, he won the admiration and affection of many. He spent his final years as a patron of King Louis I, living lavishly and basking in the glow of countless admirers. His pupil, Francesco Melzi, was devoted to Leonardo, and remained at his side until his death.
Although popular rumor has it that Leonardo died in the arms of the king of France, his remains did not receive such royal treatment. The chapel where he was buried was demolished, the coffins melted down, and the scattered piles of bones left to be reburied by the gardener. Today, the final resting place of the great Leonardo da Vinci is unknown. Thousands of pages of his notebooks and most of his art are also unaccounted for. What remains, however, is a testament to the genius of the illegitimate boy from Vinci, and the influence he still exerts in the fields of science and art.
This picture book for children is based on sound sources and research, as indicated by the bibliography, and Diane Stanley even traveled to Italy to research the art for the book. Added consultation was provided by Harvard University art Professor John Shearman. Stanley opens with a one-page background introduction to the Renaissance and ends with a postscript describing the fate of Leonardo, his art, and notebooks.
Stanley�s writing is enriched by her inclusion of Italian names and phrases, for which she includes a pronunciation guide. Readers are introduced to artistic terms, such as �chiaroscuro� and �contrapposto,� with clear explanations of what they mean. Many children will doubtless want to learn more after reading this overview of Leonardo's life, and Stanely has included a list of recommended resources on the artist as well as the Renaissance.
Little-known insights to Leonardo�s personal life are included, helping readers identify with this great man who lived so long ago. �Wandering from place to place he had no roots, no true home.� Those who are only familiar with Leonardo the artist will be surprised to learn that he would grow �weary of the paintbrush,� and become disinterested in art for long periods of time.
The stories of Leonardo�s weaknesses and failures also serve to humanize him, and show us another facet of the legendary genius. He often �gave up� on projects, abandoning them for no apparent reason, and experienced miserable failures, despite months and years of careful planning. The jealousy Leonardo felt toward Michelangelo is also painfully evident in the insults he leveled at his contemporary rival
Stanley supplements the text of the story with brilliantly-colored, realistic illustrations rendered in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil. Each two-page spread includes a full-page illustration by Stanley, and the facing page of text is headed by a snippet of pen and ink drawings taken from Leonardo�s own notebooks. Every page of text is framed by an elaborate, Renaissance-style gold border adapted from a design by the great artist himself, and the cover art and title page depict framed portraits of Leonardo. The back cover has a mirror image of the front cover art, a visual allusion to the artist�s habit of writing from right to left, creating a mirror image.
The excellence of this book has been recognized by numerous literary organizations, and it was the recipient of the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for nonfiction in 1997. Carolyn Phelan, in a review for Booklist (September 15, 1996), accurately summed up its qualities: �Well researched, intelligently written, and beautifully illustrated, this is the best of the many children�s books on Leonardo.�
Related Websites:
Exploring Leonardo:
http://www.mos.org/leonardo/
Exploring Leonardo for Kids:
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/
Diane Stanley's Website:
http://www.dianestanley.com
Learning About Leonardo:
http://library.thinkquest.org/13681/data/davin2.shtml
The Renaissance:
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/