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Leonardo da Vinci
Written by Walter Isaacson
Narrated by Alfred Molina
Book Actions
Start Listening- Publisher:
- Simon & Schuster Audio
- Released:
- Oct 17, 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781508241997
- Format:
- Audiobook
Editor's Note
Description
He was history's most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us?
The author of the acclaimed bestsellers Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography.
Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo's genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.
He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history's most creative genius.
His creativity, like that of other great innovators, came from having wide-ranging passions. He peeled flesh off the faces of cadavers, drew the muscles that move the lips, and then painted history's most memorable smile. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo's lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions.
Leonardo's delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance of instilling, both in ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question it—to be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Leonardo da Vinci
Written by Walter Isaacson
Narrated by Alfred Molina
Editor's Note
Description
He was history's most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us?
The author of the acclaimed bestsellers Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography.
Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo's genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.
He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history's most creative genius.
His creativity, like that of other great innovators, came from having wide-ranging passions. He peeled flesh off the faces of cadavers, drew the muscles that move the lips, and then painted history's most memorable smile. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo's lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions.
Leonardo's delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance of instilling, both in ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question it—to be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.
- Publisher:
- Simon & Schuster Audio
- Released:
- Oct 17, 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781508241997
- Format:
- Audiobook
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Reviews
Reviews
What people think about Leonardo da Vinci
4.5284 ratings / 44 reviews
Critic reviews
"This is an enthralling read, and not just because Da Vinci is a fascinating person. Isaacson is a terrific writer, and he makes his subject a human — worthy of fascination and respect, but not some unapproachable god. The biography is both inspiring and informative."
Scribd Editors
"A thoroughly researched and engaging deep dive into the thought processes and achievements of western culture's most brilliant mind. Inventor, artist, and futurist, this book cements Leonardo place as the beacon that shines above all during the Renaissance."
Scribd Editors
Reader reviews
Da Vinci did provide examples and a paper trail of his creative work, projects and thoughts. He provided notebooks totaling over 7200 pages. His notebooks contained his to do lists, ideas, sketches and random thoughts on a variety of disciplines.
If readers are not intrigued in knowing about da Vinci they may be turned off by the sheer weight of the book. They can wait for the movie version which I understand is in the works.
Da Vinci did provide examples and a paper trail of his creative work, projects and thoughts. He provided notebooks totaling over 7200 pages. His notebooks contained his to do lists, ideas, sketches and random thoughts on a variety of disciplines.
If readers are not intrigued in knowing about da Vinci they may be turned off by the sheer weight of the book. They can wait for the movie version which I understand is in the works.