The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci

by Dmitri Merejkowski

Hardcover, 1928

Status

Available

Call number

891.73

Publication

Modern Library (1928), Edition: Later Printing, Hardcover, 637 pages

Description

This evocative account of the life of the Renaissance's greatest figure traces Leonardo's early development as an artist and court figure to his final years in exile, portraying his loves and sufferings, as well as his intellectual curiosity and tireless loyalty to his ideals. But it is the background to his famous painting La Gioconda and his relationship with the mysterious Florentine woman who modelled for it that are at the heart of the novel - here presented for the first time in an unabridged translation. The result is an engrossing and unforgettable read. An unjustly forgotten masterpiece of Russian literature that inspired one of Freud's most important essays, Leonardo da Vinci also offers an illuminating snapshot of the society of the period - beset with intrigue and religious and social tension - and a host of memorable historical figures such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Machiavelli, Savonarola and the infamous Borgias.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jwhenderson

The spirit and gemius of Leonardo da Vinci imbue the pages of this biographical romance. Leonardo's achievements in art and science, the fecundity of his mind and the almost infinite bounds of his imagination are portrayed against the background of Renaissance intrigue in Italy. This portrait

captures some of the greatness of Leonardo and his time.

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LibraryThing member ACDoyleLibrary

"This other author in whom I find a new note, and one of great power, is Merejkowski, who is, if I mistake not, young and with his career still before him. "The Forerunner" and "The Death of the Gods" are the only two books of his which I have been able to obtain, but the pictures of Renaissance

Italy in the one, and of declining Rome in the other, are in my opinion among the masterpieces of fiction." --Through the Magic Door, pg. 229

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LibraryThing member M.Campanella

I remember so very often walking through the Vatican museums and stopping at the lonely little picture Leonardo Da Vinci made of St Jerome. It was always strange to stop and look at it. It is in the whole of the museum the only work that is incomplete to such a degree. One would wonder why it is

there. Surely, this person who we all know as a renaissance master most have better works that we could display.
Or maybe not. I guess I never bothered to look into the life Of Da Vinci, but if we Take Merezkovsky word on it, he was not a prolific person at all. His mastery does show in the little ChiaroScuro work I mentioned, but the book brought me to an understanding that being a master of something might not mean the prolific output showed by various other Italian artists of history.
The book illustrates rather well not only the person in question, but the rather interesting and turbulent times he lived in.
A book that can contextualize a painting is certainly rather good.

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