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Article: A heretical mind; Leonardo da Vinci.(Two new books about Leonardo da Vinci)(Leonardo)(Leonard da Vinci: The Flights of the Mind)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 11, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Curiosita knew no bounds
The Renaissance master's "strange career"
TWO new books on Leonardo da Vinci have covers that are almost identical. Both authors have pored over Leonardo's notebooks, and claim to take us inside the mind of the Renaissance giant. Yet one book, a surprisingly short one, paints Leonardo as a genius, whereas the other, a doorstep of a volume, presents him uncut, looking something of a fallen angel. Which Leonardo you choose depends on whether you prefer your heroes on or off their pedestal.
Martin Kemp, an eminent Oxford art historian and Leonardo scholar, has condensed what he calls Leonardo's "strange career" as an ...