Leonardo da Vinci – Book Review
The Complete Paintings and Drawings Published by Taschen Books
Apr 2, 2009
The Taschen stable of quality publications covers subjects ranging from Kandinsky to Miró, to Japanese gardens and New York interiors. The volume, Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings, was published as part of the publisher's 25th anniversary celebrations. This heavyweight tome explores Leonardo's life and works, and is claimed, by Taschen, to be the definitive guide to the artist's paintings and drawings.
The Authors - Professor Dr Frank Zöllner and Dr. Johannes Nathan
Professor Zöllner, who has been Professor of Renaissance and Modern Art at Leipzig University since 1996, wrote his first doctoral thesis in 1987, on artistic and architectural theory. A second thesis followed in 1996, on the subject of Leonardo da Vinci. Zöllner is also author of numerous books on the art and artistic theory of the Renaissance, as well as on the artist, Paul Klee.
Dr. Johannes Nathan studied art history at New York University, after which he studied at London's Courtauld Institute of Art where he gained his Ph.D. in 1995. Dr Nathan's dissertation examined the working methods of Leonardo da Vinci. Dr Nathan has taught at both New York University and the University of Berne, Switzerland, and has published widely on artists' working methods as well as on the art of the Italian Renaissance.
About the Book
The book explores the mind of the Italian genius, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), one of the greatest intellects of all time. It is a detailed assessment of his life and work as an engineer, scientist, painter, sculptor and architect.
Large-scale close-up reproductions of Leonardo's major works allow readers to examine minute details. For example, The Annunciation (ca. 1473-1475) features on a double-page spread, and is followed by several full pages of enlarged sections.
The Layout of the Publication
The book is divided into three sections.
- The first section, Leonardo da Vinci - Life and Work, by Frank Zöllner, is divided into ten chapters. The author has utilised Leonardo's letters, contracts, diary entries, and writings, to explore different aspects of the artist's life and work. Chapter 1 discusses his early work in Florence between 1469 and 1480. It includes reproductions of Madonna of the Carnation (Madonna with a Vase of Flowers, ca. 1472-1578). Subsequent chapters move through Leonardo's life until Chapter 10 looks at his final years. All the paintings featured in these chapters are accompanied by very detailed interpretations.
- The second section, The Complete Paintings, by Frank Zöllner, is a comprehensive catalogue raisonné of Leonardo's cartoons and paintings. It includes material about works that are attributed to him, both surviving and lost, based on scientific research. This section also includes two paintings by Andrea del Verrocchio, because Leonardo is believed to have contributed to these works. A brief discussion of the technique, provenance, attribution, condition and patronage of each piece is provided by Professor Zöllner.
- The third section, The Graphic Work, by Frank Zöllner and Johannes Nathan, accounts for almost two thirds of the publication. It is divided into 16 sections each representing a different aspect of the artist's drawings. 663 drawings are presented by category including architecture, technical, anatomical, figures, proportion, cartography, drapery studies, etc.
In Conclusion…
The publication has been printed on high quality heavy duty paper, and contains detailed, interesting and scholarly, yet easy to understand texts, accessible to both students and scholars, or lovers of beautiful art books. Details of other Taschen publications can be obtained from Taschen Books.
Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings, by Professor Dr. Frank Zöllner and Dr Johannes Nathan.
Published by Taschen GmbH, 2007, (ISBN: 978-3-8228-3827-3 Hardback), 696 pages, price £39.99.
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