The da Vinci Legacy, Christopher Heath Brown
The da Vinci Legacy, Christopher Heath Brown
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
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The da Vinci Legacy
How an Elusive 16th-Century Artist Became a Global Pop Icon

Author: Christopher Heath Brown, Jean-Pierre Isbouts

Narrator: P.J. Ochlan

Unabridged: 6 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/13/2019


Synopsis

Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark.

But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and Salvator Mundi selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars?

This extraordinary volume is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating 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.

About Christopher Heath Brown

Christopher Heath Brown is a practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has presented and published to both national and international audiences, as well as an art collector and the director of Brown Discoveries, a research institute focused on Renaissance, Surrealist, and Contemporary art. Together with Jean-Pierre Isbouts, Dr. Brown produced The Search for the Last Supper and The Search for the Mona Lisa for Public Television. Dr. Brown lives in Cornelius, North Carolina.


Reviews

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on May 02, 2019

Being a long time admirer of art and the surrounding culture I couldn't pass by the opportunity to read more about arguably the most revered and influential Renaissance painter, but I was concerned that this may be a lot like other titles I have read which merely discuss the art and not the truly fa......more

Goodreads review by Charles on February 22, 2019

Professor Isbouts has great skill in bringing to light things we thought we knew about popular figures of art history, and shifting our perspective on them slightly while giving us new information. I've read many books on Da Vinci, and this one in particular is top tier.......more

Goodreads review by Matilda on February 26, 2019

Really enjoyed this book. The discoveries in this book are just fascinating! So much research must have been done by the authors. Absolutely amazing!......more

Goodreads review by Alan on February 23, 2019

What a delightful book . Received a reader and enjoyed this much more so than Walter Issacson book on Da Vinci ... well done authors. Bravo five stars......more

Goodreads review by James on February 22, 2019

Great read by knowledable authors. Best of their several books about this revered artist.......more