The Da Vinci legacy : how an elusive 16th-century artist became a global pop icon
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-314).

"The traditional view of Leonardo da Vinci's career is that he enjoyed a promising start in Florence and then moved to Milan to become the celebrated court artist of Duke Ludovico Sforza. Young Leonardo proves all of this wrong. It reveals how the struggling painter was repeatedly snubbed by the prevailing trends of Florentine style before escaping to Milan empty-handed. But Milan offered little more; Sforza's patronage was lukewarm, to say the least, and all the major commissions went to artists whose names are now forgotten. How did the amateur become one of the all-time greatest masters? Slowly, meticulously, disastrously. Focusing on an often neglected period in Leonardo's life, here is a fascinating window into the artist's mind as he develops the techniques that will transform Western art forever. Because before there could be a Last Supper, a Mona Lisa, a St. Anne, there had to be a young Leonardo"--,Provided by publisher.

How did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today? This book unravels this mystery by diving into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. Gives context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo's fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history.