A Weekend with Leonardo Da Vinci - Hardcover

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Grade 7 Up-- Two titles that enliven for readers what other art histories tend to make dull. In the clever, intimate series format, these famous artists serve as tour guides into the life and times of 15th-century Italy and 17th-century Spain respectively. The first-person narratives focus on art works, no nudes, mostly those by the artist, and interweave related history. For example, Leonardo tells about his ultimate failure to complete a huge equestrian statue. Velazquez spends a few pages taking readers "behind the scenes" of his famous Las Meninas . The pages are dominated by the top-quality, full-color reproductions: double-page spreads, full-page paintings, and many vignettes dotting the landscape. Although the sometimes lengthy captions are set off in italics, they often offer similar information to that provided in the text. The use of works by other artists to describe or illuminate a point is distracting and apt to fool less attentive readers. Nevertheless, these titles will be useful resources for students, and the semi-fictionalized telling makes them attractive as stories. A timeline, full reference citations, and several pages devoted to the condition and locations of existing major works add to their utility. --Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
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