'Study me reader, if you find delight in me...Come, O men, to
see the miracles that such studies will disclose in
nature.'
Most of what we know about Leonardo da Vinci, we know because of
his notebooks. Some 6,000 sheets of notes and drawings survive,
which represent perhaps one-fifth of what he actually produced. In
them he recorded everything that interested him in the world around
him, and his study of how things work. With an artist's eye and
a scientist's curiosity he studied the movement of water and
the formation of rocks, the nature of flight and optics, anatomy,
architecture, sculpture, and painting. He
jotted down fables and letters and developed his belief in the
sublime unity of nature and man. Through his notebooks we can get
an insight into Leonardo's thoughts, and his approach to work
and life.
This selection offers a cross-section of his writings, organized
around coherent themes. Fully updated, this new edition includes
some 70 line drawings and a Preface by Martin Kemp, one of the
world's leading authorities on Leonardo.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics
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A remarkable insight into the Renaissance mind. The Guardian.
A remarkable insight into the Renaissance mind. The Guardian.
Martin Kemp, geboren 1941, ist seit 1991 Professor für Kunstgeschichte am St. Andrew's College in Oxford. Er ist Autor der viel beachteten Publikation "The Science of Art. Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunelleschi to Seurat" (Yale University Press, 1990). In deutscher Sprache erschien 1997 "Der Blick hinter die Bilder. Text und Kunst in der italienischen Renaissance".
