Leonardo and the Last Supper
Bloomsbury USA · Paperback · October 1, 2013
In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci began what would become one of history's most influential works of art-The Last Supper.
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- Who it’s for
- A close, readable way into Leonardo and the cultural world around The Last Supper.
- Genres
- Artists' Lives, Renaissance History, Renaissance Art History
- Published
- Bloomsbury USA, October 1, 2013
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci began what would become one of history's most influential works of art-The Last Supper. After a decade at the court of Lodovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, Leonardo was at a low point: at forty-three, he had failed, despite a number of prestigious commissions, to complete anything that truly fulfilled his astonishing promise. His latest failure was a giant bronze horse to honor Sforza's father, made with material expropriated by the military.
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The commission to paint The Last Supper was a small compensation, and his odds of completing it weren't promising: he hadn't worked on such a large painting and had no experience in the standard mural medium of fresco. Amid war and the political and religious turmoil around him, and beset by his own insecurities and frustrations, Leonardo created the masterpiece that would forever define him. Ross King unveils dozens of stories that are embedded in the painting, and overturns many of the myths surrounding it. Bringing to life a fascinating period in European history, he presents an original portrait of one of history's greatest geniuses through the lens of his most famous work.
Leonardo Close-Up
A close, readable way into Leonardo and the cultural world around The Last Supper.
Come here for
- Leonardo, the painting, the surrounding moment
- art history with classroom clarity
Expect
- biography threaded with history
- religious context without the jargon
Where it sits
| Renaissance History | 44% |
|---|---|
| Artists' Lives | 43% |
| Renaissance Art History | 39% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Medieval Art History
- Religious Art
- Artists' Lives
- Authors
- Ross King
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury USA
- Published
- October 1, 2013
- Format
- Paperback
- Reading lane
- Medieval Art History