The Life of Leonardo, the Boy from Vinci, the Versatile Genius, the Wanderer
39.99 €
In stock
The Life of Leonardo, the Boy from Vinci, the Versatile Genius, the Wanderer
39.99 €
This is the story of a simple village boy. The illegitimate son of a notary and a slave, a strong, young woman, a foreigner from distant lands. Leonardo, a name meaning freedom, was probably given to her son by her.
How could I tell this story? First of all, by listening to the voices of Leonardo's contemporaries, incomplete testimonies, but first-hand accounts, the recollections of those who knew him personally, the documents and papers of relatives, contracts, letters, chronicles, tax returns, denunciations and materials of trials, ambassadors' reports, the notebooks of artists and engineers, the praises of court poets, the travel diary of the cardinal's secretary.
An artist - divine, but too "varied and unstable" in his inventiveness, too striving for perfection, and therefore practically incapable of finishing his own works; a versatile genius, a magician and a sorcerer, a saint and a demon, a superman, a herald of modern science. But where is he himself, the boy from Vinci?
Personally, I prefer another voice, clear and true: his own. Testimonies made up of words and images. A stream of words, daily notes, thousands and thousands of pages of notebooks, notepads, scattered sheets; images captured in hundreds of drawings, sketches, drafts, a few magnificent paintings. Perhaps this is Leonardo’s greatest invention, an incredible form of global communication in its novelty. An open, free style of writing that recognizes no boundaries or hierarchies. A style of the “future”, a challenge to time and death. An immense work, a demonstration of an astonishing mind, unbound by schemes and prejudices, leaving all possible paths open. A true song of freedom. (Carlo Vecce)
How could I tell this story? First of all, by listening to the voices of Leonardo's contemporaries, incomplete testimonies, but first-hand accounts, the recollections of those who knew him personally, the documents and papers of relatives, contracts, letters, chronicles, tax returns, denunciations and materials of trials, ambassadors' reports, the notebooks of artists and engineers, the praises of court poets, the travel diary of the cardinal's secretary.
An artist - divine, but too "varied and unstable" in his inventiveness, too striving for perfection, and therefore practically incapable of finishing his own works; a versatile genius, a magician and a sorcerer, a saint and a demon, a superman, a herald of modern science. But where is he himself, the boy from Vinci?
Personally, I prefer another voice, clear and true: his own. Testimonies made up of words and images. A stream of words, daily notes, thousands and thousands of pages of notebooks, notepads, scattered sheets; images captured in hundreds of drawings, sketches, drafts, a few magnificent paintings. Perhaps this is Leonardo’s greatest invention, an incredible form of global communication in its novelty. An open, free style of writing that recognizes no boundaries or hierarchies. A style of the “future”, a challenge to time and death. An immense work, a demonstration of an astonishing mind, unbound by schemes and prejudices, leaving all possible paths open. A true song of freedom. (Carlo Vecce)
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