Leonardo: The Artist and the Man [Paperback]

Serge Bramly is a man of his word. The subtitle of this book is "The Artist And The Man," and that is what we get, in a very evenhanded account. There are many fascinating anecdotes and tidbits concerning both the work and the personality of Leonardo. My favorite story concerned the painting of "The Last Supper." Mr. Brambly explains that Leonardo liked to base his figures on real people. He strolled the streets of Milan and sketched many faces in order to come up with the models for Christ's disciples. It was smooth sailing until he tried to find someone "evil" looking enough to base Judas on. Apparently, Leonardo dragged his feet on completing the fresco for a year while he searched for "his Judas." The prior of the convent who was keeping tabs on the notoriously slow-working Leonardo finally complained to the Duke of Milan regarding the delay. Called in front of the Duke to explain himself, Leonardo had this to say: "...I have been going every day to the Borghetto, where Your Excellency knows that all of the ruffians of the city live. But I have not yet been able to discover a villain's face corresponding to what I have in mind. Once I find that face, I will finish the painting in a day. But if my research remains fruitless, I shall take the features of the prior who came to complain about me to Your Excellency and who would fit the requirements perfectly. But I have been hesitating a long time whether to make him a figure of ridicule in his own convent." In this quote, we get an idea of both Leonardo's working method and his delightful sense of humor. (The Duke, by the way, was greatly amused by this reply and took Leonardo's side in the matter.) It is impossible to convey the richness of this book in such a short review, but Mr. Bramly manages to convey the richness of his subject in what, at 400 pages, is a relatively brief biography. The author discusses Leonardo's famous "mirror writing" and states that it was not an attempt to conceal what he was writing, as Leonardo's notebooks were workbooks rather than diaries. Mr. Bramly says that left-handed people commonly can write from right to left. (I am not an expert and cannot judge this assertion.) The author also discusses Leonardo's homosexuality, his proposed inventions, his forays into architecture and civil engineering, his insatiable curiosity (he performed over two dozen dissections to teach himself human anatomy, as well as learning Latin and mathematics in middle-age), and even his diet (Leonardo came to believe in the sanctity of all life, not just human life, and became a vegetarian- highly unusual back in the 15th century). Mr. Bramly is not blind to his subject's faults: Leonardo was to some extent lazy (he hated to get out of bed in the morning....something many of us can identify with!); he started many projects but completed very few (he was more interested in the conception than in the completion, plus his mind tended to wander from topic to topic); and he seemed to be pretty much disconnected from "real life" and other people and was often "lost" in his daydreams and work. A bonus of the book is that Mr. Bramly gives wonderful descriptions of some of the famous people whose paths crossed Leonardo's, such as Cesare Borgia and King Francois I of France. I also can't say enough good things about the quality of the translation from French to English done by Sian Reynolds. There is not one clunky sentence in the entire book. The book is also peppered with many interesting reproductions (mostly black-and-white, but a few color), including an alternate, nude, version of the "Mona Lisa." Many sketches from Leonardo's notebooks are included, as well. I came away from this book knowing a lot more about Leonardo's work and personality. When this work was first published in Great Britain in the early 1990's it was selected as one of the best books of the year by "The Sunday Times." It's not difficult to see why.

I think this is the best biography I have ever read. It describes the time and people that sorrounded Leornardo in a way that makes you feel as he were writing about a man of the last century, not from 500 years ago.

Also the book is very well documented and the author is really passionate about Leonardo's life and he transmit his passion to the reader.

As other reviewers said, you will find out some small but significant details about his life that are not known by most people and I also think I understand his works much better now.

A very easy and readable account of the life of Leonardo da Vinci: one I enjoyed greatly. However, facing facts, we don't seem to actually know that much about him, and as a consequence there is plenty of filling in the book. The author has clearly researched his book well, but far too many times goes with his emotions when facts are sparse. Furthermore, the illustrations are few and far between, and are hardly comprehensive.

If you want an easy going read I'd recommend this; if you want something a bit more comprehensive, then look elsewhere.