Leonardo by Leonardo is a landmark publication on Leonardo da Vinci, the
immortal Renaissance artist universally considered one of the greatest
painters of all time.
Published to coincide with Leonardo’s 500th anniversary commemoration in
2019, and written by Martin J. Kemp, one of the world’s leading authorities on
Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo by Leonardo presents an astonishing gallery of the
master’s 27 existing paintings, as well as the preparatory drawings that formed the
basis of his masterpieces. Martin J. Kemp’s narrative is accompanied by extensive
written reflections by Leonardo, and is further highlighted by perspectives from his
contemporaries.
The utmost care and state-of-the-art digital capture technology has been
applied to the new photography of the artworks presented in this collection. No
expense has been spared to reproduce the artworks with the highest fidelity to colour,
tone, and surface. The quality of imaging, ultra-fine resolution printing, archival paper,
and binding has produced a book like no other. The result is a power and intimacy
between artist and viewer that takes us inside the artist’s mind, eye and spirit.
The legacy of Leonardo da Vinci is a perennial fascination. Not only did he paint
what is considered by many to be the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa,
but he radically changed every genre of painting — religious and secular portraiture,
devotional tableaux, and drawing. Leonardo is the genius that towers over the history
of Western art. The large scale and unparalleled quality of reproduction in this volume
allows 'the strange, living presence of his paintings' to exercise their full power and
magnetism on the viewer.
With a lifetime of scholarship and insight, Martin J. Kemp takes us inside the
world of each masterwork: the artist’s relationship to his patrons; how and why the
works were commissioned; their iconography and symbology; the experimental
painting techniques he applied; stories of how the paintings survived and changed
owners across the centuries: restoration and condition; and finally, the unsolved
puzzles that remain to this day.
