Milan, 1496 and 44-year-old Leonardo da Vinci is in a state of professional uncertainty and financial difficulty. For 18 months he has been painting murals in both the Sforza Castle in Milan and the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The latter project will become The Last Supper, a complex mural that took three years to complete on a surface 15 feet high by 20 feet wide. He had never attempted a painting so big, and had no experience with fresco.
For more than five centuries The Last Supper has been an artistic, religious, and cultural icon. Art historian Kenneth Clark called it the keystone of European art. Yet this artistic masterpiece was created against the backdrop of momentous events both in Milan and in the life of Leonardo himself. In Leonardo and The Last Supper, Ross King tells the story of this creation of this mural: a 'biography' of one of the most famous works of art ever painted.
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"well researched book on Leonardo and his Last Supper. there is as much history as art. Can be a bit dry if one is not used to this kind of writing but he discusses more contemporary theories about the painting (i.e. Dan Brown) as well. I've read most of King's books and they are all well documented and well written. highly recommend especially for anyone interested in art history." — Jan (4 out of 5 stars)
"well researched book on Leonardo and his Last Supper. there is as much history as art. Can be a bit dry if one is not used to this kind of writing but he discusses more contemporary theories about the painting (i.e. Dan Brown) as well. I've read most of King's books and they are all well documented and well written. highly recommend especially for anyone interested in art history."
" Interesting historical fiction. Everything you ever wanted to know about The Last Supper. And Leonardo had issues. "
" Insightful, interesting, inspiring (i.e., as in, it inspired me to find out more on my own). Not as compelling as I anticipated, but Ross King still rates for me a must-read. "
" Very well written and researched, but it was more about the history of the times and less about Leonardo and his famous painting than I would have liked. Still, worth reading if you are interested in that period of Italian history. "
" Doug read this book and enjoyed it. I read parts of it, and it is a good read. Doug is painting biblical illustrations in oil and acrylic. "
" Very disappointing. Not at all on par with his previous books. "
" I enjoyed the biographical information and historical context more than the discussions of art technique, though I suspect that art lovers will also find those parts to be informative. "
" Not my favorite of Mr. King's, but still a very interesting look at the history of the Last Supper, da Vinci and the politics of the time. "
" the author did a really nice job of transporting the reader to Leonardo's time. He explains every stroke and the probable intended meaing for the time. I liked it well enough to order another book by this writer, "
" Erudite, well-written and researched. An academic read. "
" So far, very good. King writes in the same style of his other books on Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Judgment of Paris (Manet and Meisonnier) and Machievelli...Writes of Leonardo's connections with Sforza in Milan in more depth than I've read before. "
" I found this Ross King book a little hard to get into. There was alot of Italian history besides Leonardo's story. "
Ross King is the highly praised author of Brunelleschi’s Dome (the Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year in 2000), Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling (on the New York Times extended bestseller list), The Judgment of Paris, Machiavelli, and two novels, Ex Libris and Domino. He lives outside Oxford in England.
Mark Meadows is an actor and audiobook narrator. He can be heard on the radio broadcasts of Lost Souls and The Worst Journey in the World, both first aired for BBC Radio. On television, he has appeared as Reverend Wallace in EastEnders. He also has extensive credits as a composer and arranger.
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