30-Second Leonardo Da Vinci: His 50 greatest ideas and inventions, each explained in half a minute

Description

Artist, anatomist, architect, botanist, cartographer, engineer, mathematician, musician, scientist, sculptor – the word ‘polymath’ cannot provide the full measure of Leonardo da Vinci’s extraordinary talents. If you only know Leonardo as the painter of the famous, much copied portrait, the Mona Lisa, seize the chance to brush up your knowledge and discover what is meant by the term Renaissance Man. 30 Second Leonardo Da Vinci is the quickest way to grapple with the truly diverse thoughts of the ultimate Renaissance superhero. Here, the world’s leading Leonardo scholars present an instant and expert guide to the breadth and brilliance of his greatest innovations. Each entry is summarized in just 30 seconds – using nothing more than two pages, 300 words and a single picture. Illustrated with inventive graphics and supported by studies of his key paintings, it’s the ultimate book to quench your curiosity. CONTENTS Foreword Introduction Painting & Sculpture GLOSSARY The Treatise on Painting Paragone Decorum of Movement & Gesture Chiaroscuro & Sfumato Feature Painting: The Last Supper Nature Portraiture Drawing in Black & Red Chalk The Deluge Geometry GLOSSARY Linear Perspective Geometric Optics Geometric Proportions Feature Painting: Lady with an Ermine Plane Geometry Squaring the Circle Solid Geometry Knots & Rosettes Mechanics GLOSSARY Helicopter Worm Gears Parachute Feature Painting: The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the Young St. John the Baptist Hydraulic Saw Viola Organista Diving Suit Self-Propelled Cart Civil Engineering GLOSSARY The Ideal City Ecclesiastical Architecture Cartography & Canals Bridges Casting the Sforza Horse Feature Painting: The Battle of Anghiari The Stage Industrial Machines Military Engineering GLOSSARY Fortresses Spectacular Siege Machines Tank Cannons & Springalds Ballistic Studies Naval Warfare Feature Painting: Mona Lisa Dismountable Cannons & Devices Nature GLOSSARY The Prime Mover The Body of the Earth Feature Painting: Virgin of the Rocks Macrocosm & Microcosm Necessity & Experience Water The Vortex Forces of Nature Anatomy & Anatomical Studies GLOSSARY Dissection & Visualization The Body Machine The Fluids of the Body Searching for the Soul Man & Animals Feature Painting: Annunciation Anthropometry The Origin of Life Resources Notes on Contributors Acknowledgments