Ernest Lloyd Raboff

I love Leonardo Da Vinci's work, both as an artist and inventor, which is why I selected this book. The font used was a bold and unique choice, it was definitely designed to draw the eye and as the author himself studied art in France and Italy this is probably no accident.
I enjoyed the depth and detail the author went into for the paintings he selected. I have never taken an art class so I do not have the trained eye necessary to pick up on some of the methods Da Vinci used, like using the strong mathematical proportions of the triangle as a tool in many of his paintings.

My only critique is the section on the Mona Lisa. I understand this is a book meant for children, but as a historian, I know that the Mona Lisa did not become "the best-known woman in the history of art" because of his genius. It was once stolen from the Louvre by an Italian immigrant. He thought France obtained the painting by looting during wartime but the painting had actually been gifted to France by Italy. While the painting was missing for over two years, pictures of the Mona Lisa circulated in newspapers around the world for months. People the world over who had never visited the Louvre now knew the Mona Lisa and it is because of that visibility, it became the most famous and recognizable piece.
I'm not saying Da Vinci was not brilliant, I am saying don't tell a half-truth if the whole truth is much more interesting.
Also, for some reason, LibraryThing has this book listed as being published in 1876 but the author wasn't born until 1921.… (lisätietoja)