Synopses & Reviews
Painter and printmaker Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609and#150;64) was one of the most technically superb and innovative artists of the Italian Baroque. Although he is best known for his evocative etchings that reveal a mastery of light to rival that of Rembrandt and Van Dyck, he also redefined the drawing and printmaking genres through the introduction of his monotyping technique and was among the first to conceive of the oil sketch as a finished work. Sadly, Castiglioneand#8217;s prolific artistic output has been largely overshadowed by his turbulent character and troubled private life. and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
With this lavishly illustrated biography, leading Castiglione scholar Timothy J. Standring and curator Martin Clayton and seek to restore to prominence this forgotten master of the Italian Baroque. Drawing on extensive new research into court records and other documents of the time, Standring and Clayton have reconstructed the artistand#8217;s life, from his arrest for murder that led to the estrangement of his contemporaries and the loss of valuable patrons to his eventual decision to flee the region. The story of Castiglioneand#8217;s life and important new discoveries about his art are presented here alongside one hundred brilliant reproductions of his oil sketches. and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Published to accompany a major exhibition that will debut at the Queenand#8217;s Gallery, London, and travel to the Denver Art Museum in May 2015, Castiglione: Lost Genius is the first new publication on Castiglione in decades, and it is sure to bring his first-rate work and fascinating life to the forefront.
Review
The name Leonardo da Vinci likely conjures images of the
Mona Lisa or
The Last Supper, but one of his greatest legacies are his anatomical drawings, which were astoundingly accurate for his time. . . . The drawings are accompanied by fascinating texts from experts on how Leonardo pioneered the art of medical illustration, including the wonderfully grotesque tales of what it took to learn such anatomical detail. . . . Itand#8217;s a fun art history class.
Review
One of the greatest stories in the history of science.
Review
"Leonardo da Vinci was renowned as an artist at the time of his death, but 400 years passed before his brilliance as a scientist was widely understood. In his final years, he dissected about 30 human cadavers, producing some of the finest anatomical studies ever made, according to Martin Clayton and Ron Philo. From time to time, exhibits of da Vinci's drawings have been mounted, but this book, containing 90 anatomical studies, is the largest published collection to date."
Review
Praise for the exhibition and#8220;Although Castiglione is a big name in seventeenth-century Italian art, even fans of the period might have trouble associating him with a particular artwork. One of the most technically accomplished draftsmen of the Baroque period, he has unaccountably fallen from recognition in the modern era. But this exhibition, provocatively subtitled and#8216;Lost Geniusand#8217; seeks to correct that oversight. . . . Taken together, the works in this splendidly conceived exhibition demonstrate that Castiglione was a major figure in art history.and#8221;
Synopsis
Leonardo da Vinci was a pioneer in the study of the human body. Intent on exploring and explaining every aspect of anatomy and physiology, he performed over thirty dissections of humancadavers and many more of animals. He is also among the greatest draftsmen ever to have lived, and his studies of skeletons, musculature, and other visible structures remain to this day largely unsurpassed in their lucidity.In addition to his anatomical drawings, Leonardo meticulously recorded his many findings on the pages of his notebooks with the hope of one day publishing a treatise on anatomy. Among the more than one thousand pages of these notebooks were a number of important discoveries that, had they been published, would have transformed Western understanding of biological sciences. But despite admiration by the likes of Benvenuto Cellini, Giorgio Vasari, and Albrecht Danduuml;rerandmdash;who made a number of drawings from Leonardoandrsquo;s anatomical studiesandmdash;the work was never completed and the drawings remained largely unpublished and little known until around 1900.and#160;Since the seventeenth century, the Royal Library at Windsor Castle has housed the worldandrsquo;s most significant collection of Leonardoandrsquo;s surviving anatomical studies. Generously illustrated throughout, this volume presents ninety of the finest of these astonishing documentsandmdash;the largest publication of Leonardoandrsquo;s anatomical drawings to dateandmdash;accompanied by an informative discussion of their anatomical content and theirand#160;significance in Leonardoandrsquo;s pioneering work.
Synopsis
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest anatomists ever to have lived. He dissected more than thirty human corpses, exploring every aspect of anatomy and physiology, and recorded his findings in drawings of unparalleled beauty and lucidity. Had Leonardo published his researches, he would have transformed European knowledge of anatomy. But his studies remained among his personal papers at his death, and were almost unknown until around 1900.
This book offers 87 of Leonardo's finest and most important anatomical studies, housed in the Print Room at Windsor Castle, with full scientific and art-historical explanations and discussion. Supported by an award-winning ipad app, Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomy, it is an essential work of reference for the Leonardo enthusiast, as well as a unique exploration of the anatomy of the human body itself.
About the Author
Martin Clayton is Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. He has published several books on Leonard da Vinci, including Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man. Ron Philo is adjunct associate professor in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Table of Contents
The Anatomical Studies of Leonardo da Vinci
Catalogue
and#160;and#160;and#160; Notes to the reader
and#160;and#160;and#160; Early anatomical and proportion studies
and#160;and#160;and#160; Revival: The Battle of Anghiari
and#160;and#160;and#160; The centenarian: Anatomical Manuscript B
and#160;and#160;and#160; Neurology and the voice
and#160;and#160;and#160; The bones and muscles: Anatomical Manuscript A
and#160;and#160;and#160; The reproductive system
and#160;and#160;and#160; Dogs, birds, oxen: The Villa Melzi studies
and#160;and#160;and#160; The heart
Further Reading
Concordance
Index