Leonardo da Vinci: A Renaissance Master at 500 Years

The book's image of the Mona Lisa is so detailed
you can see small cracks in the paint.

Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519: The Complete Paintings and Drawings
Taschen
2007
ISBN: 978-3822838273
Call Number: REF 759.5 LEONARD ZOLINER 2007

In mid-October the Louvre Museum opened the largest-ever exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci in honor of the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death. The show was 10 years in the making, incorporates pieces on loan from other museums, and will display 11 of Leonardo’s paintings and more than 100 of his drawings. In line with this Parisian celebration and 500th anniversary, I’d like to bring your attention to one of our reference books on this Renaissance master.

Entitled Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519: The Complete Paintings and Drawings, this gorgeous art book was written by Frank Zollner and published by Taschen in 2007. The large size of the book allows you to view Leonardo’s work up-close and in detail. It features two-page spreads of paintings such as The Annunciation and The Last Supper, along with 663 illustrations of Leonardo’s drawings. The book is divided into several chapters, following Leonardo through the stages of his artistic development as well as his travels to different cities.

Though you might not make it to Paris to view The Louvre’s exhibition, I encourage you to stop by the library to view this book. If it inspires you to learn more about this Renaissance Master, we have several books about him for you to checkout, take home, and view more at your leisure. Here is a list of titles on the artist that you might enjoy. And remember, as Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Learning never exhausts the mind”.