Re-Reading Leonardo

The Treatise on Painting across Europe, 1550-1900

By: Claire Farago (Editor)

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Hardcover | 26 March 2009 | Edition Number 1

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For nearly three centuries Leonardo da Vinci''s work was known primarily through the abridged version of his Treatise on Painting, first published in Paris in 1651 and soon translated into all the major European languages. Here for the first time is a study that examines the historical reception of this vastly influential text. This collection charts the varied interpretations of Leonardo''s ideas in French, Italian, Spanish, English, German, Dutch, Flemish, Greek, and Polish speaking environments where the Trattato was an important resource for the academic instruction of artists, one of the key sources drawn upon by art theorists, and widely read by a diverse network of artists, architects, biographers, natural philosophers, translators, astronomers, publishers, engineers, theologians, aristocrats, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs, and collectors. The cross-cultural approach employed here demonstrates that Leonardo''s Treatise on Painting is an ideal case study through which to chart the institutionalization of art in Europe and beyond for 400 years. The volume includes original essays by scholars studying a wide variety of national and institutional settings. The coherence of the volume is established by the shared subject matter and interpretative aim: to understand how Leonardo''s ideas were used. With its focus on the active reception of an important text overlooked in studies of the artist''s solitary genius, the collection takes Leonardo studies to a new level of historical inquiry. Leonardo da Vinci''s most significant contribution to Western art was his interpretation of painting as a science grounded in geometry and direct observation of nature. One of the most important questions to emerge from this study is, what enabled the same text to produce so many different styles of painting?

Industry Reviews

'This collection - concerning the historical fortunes and effects of Leonardo's Treatise on Painting - is long overdue. Importantly, this volume turns our attention to the reception of Leonardo in a pan-European context, making the treatise of interest not only to Renaissance and early modern art historians, but to those who study later periods.' Lyle Massey, University of California, Irvine, USA

'These essays offer a well-rounded analysis of the reception of Leonardo's Treatise by tracing trajectories of its development through a variety of cultural, historical, social, technical, critical, nationalistic, and reappropriated forms. It is the first book to address, within its historical framework, the diverse network of cultural interchange about the value of ideas associated (directly and remotely) with Leonardo da Vinci and the traditions of his time. A compelling feature of this approach is the way in which it involves this diverse network of professionals over the centuries, including not only painters, sculptors, illustrators, printmakers, and architects, but also biographers, theorists, natural philosophers, translators, astronomers, publishers, engineers, theologians, aristocrats, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs, and collectors.' Matthew Landrus, Rhode Island School of Design, USA

The amount of information this book imparts is quite astonishing... Renaissance Quarterly

'... impressive, generously illustrated collection of essays... a rich analysis of art instruction, the rise of academies, and conflicting concepts of artistic authority and integrity during the early modern period.' CAA Reviews

'... a well-organized and comprehensive cross-cultural study of the most significant text on painting... That authors reference each other's work attests to the extensive planning and throughtfulness that went into the production of this volume... provides excellent analysis as well as questions and avenues for future research

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