Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings. - Review - book review

Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings. Pietro C. Marani. Harry N. Abrams. [pound]55.00. 384 pages. ISBN 0-8109-3581-3. The author of this exhaustive study is well qualified. Signor Marani was a vice-director of the Brera Museum in Milan and co-director of the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's famous mural, The Last Supper. He has also written widely on da Vinci and here he makes use of the wealth of research into da Vinci's works to produce not a biography nor a catalogue but 'an interpretive essay on the evolution of Leonardo's art'. The author has worked on various aspects of Leonardo's art for fifteen years and his experience shows in the erudite manner in which he discusses that art and its development. To do this he has concentrated on the drawings and paintings. His researches allow him to suggest some new dating and some valuable new information on the painting, The Virgin on the Rocks. Art in da Vinci's hands became 'an instrument of instruction, at once didactic and sublime', perfected by antiq uity. For anyone interested in da Vinci's art or in the Renaissance in general, this book will be not only a pleasure to own but the source of valuable new insights. (P.P.F.)

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