Leonardo da Vinci: The Art of Looking Closely
100 Lives That Shaped the World · Episode 5
- Historical Biographies
- 40 min
- Ages 12–99
- 10 chapters
About this audiobook
A biography of Leonardo as workshop-trained artist, court engineer, observer, and notebook maker, examining both his achievements and the myths of the solitary universal genius.
Why it's worth a listen
It connects painting, anatomy, mechanics, patronage, collaboration, unfinished work, and the disciplined practice of observation.
A question to keep
How did Leonardo's habit of looking closely unite art and investigation—and why did so much of his work remain unfinished or private?
Chapters
- A Wall That Would Not Behave
- A Workshop in Florence
- Learning to See
- Offering Every Skill to Milan
- Painting a Room Full of Reactions
- Bodies, Water, Wings, and Machines
- War Changes the Map
- The Painting He Kept
- Companions, Rivals, and the Lone-Genius Myth
- Pages Scattered Across Europe