Life of Leonardo da Vinci (A Soul Set Free)

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Features: Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most versatile great artists of the Renaissance. He was not only a painter and draftsman but also an inventor, anatomist, musician, and philosopher. At the same time, he was also one of the most mysterious. Despite his great works making his name famous for hundreds of years, he himself remained an enigma, elusive and intriguing in the eyes of the world. Much of his life remains unknown. Leonardo da Vinci: Aing Mind portrays this multifaceted, creative, and endlessly inquisitive individual behind the legendary "Renaissance genius" and "polymath" with a compelling and private portrait. The book traces Leonardo's extraordinary life journey: from a humble illegitimate child in Tuscany to an apprentice in the workshop of Verrocchio in Florence, to later serving for many years as a painter for the prominent figures of Renaissance Italy—Medici (also known as de' Medici), Sforza, and Borgia—and the complex relationships he had with Michelangelo and Machiavelli during this time, until he gained the reputation of one of the most outstanding figures of his era and spent his later years as the court painter to Francis I at the Loire. Charles Nicholl has made many new discoveries in his research on Leonardo and his circle— a previously unknown portrait of da Vinci—and delves deeply into the stories behind the creation of masterpieces such as Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. What sets this book apart from others in its category is the author's keen insight and analysis of Leonardo's multifaceted personality and the extraordinary "ing" of his mind, vividly recreating his physical appearance and daily life details: eating, dressing, jokes, riddles, and his almost obsessive note-taking. Everything is recorded in his notes, from the structure of the solar system to the technique of sneezing. Nicholl spent decades completing this comprehensive English biography of da Vinci by extensively researching existing materials and delving into the lesser-known details in Leonardo's personal notes. The book is richly illustrated, beautifully written, and filled with enlightening insights, making it a masterpiece of modern biography.