Product Description

Bimba Landmann's richly coloured iconographic illustrations both illuminate this stunning life of Leonardo and create an air of mystery around this far-reaching genius. At once instructive and entertaining, the story is told by ten-year-old Giacomo, who comes to respect, love and learn from Leonardo, his wise and eccentric master. The many facets of this towering genius of Renaissance Italy are explored in a book that will inspire everyone to search for their own greatness within.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108005 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-30
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: Italian
• Binding: Hardcover
• 36 pages

Review
'1490. Giacomo has come to live with me. He is ten years old. He is a liar, a thief and a greedy brute.' Leonardo Da Vinci's description of his mischievous new apprentice has survived the centuries to fire the imagination of writer Visconti, who has made Giacomo and his enquiring mind the focus of this charming, informative and exquisitely illustrated biography. The young boy follows and learns from his master as he paints his masterpieces, frees the caged birds of the marketplace and explains the workings of the universe. The illustrations of award-winning artist Landmann, whose previous work was selected as one of the Smithsonian's 1999 Notable Books for Children List, are a dreamlike medieval tapestry of captivating power. Including many of Leonardo's original words and sketches of his inventions, this entertaining biography will ably comunicate to a young mind the genius and humanity of a man who was centuries ahead of his time.' --Kirkus UK

'Thought-provoking and utterly fascinating, The Genius of Leonardo is also a stunningly beautiful book. Giacomo, da Vinci's young assistant, tells of his time with the artist, subtly drawing attention to the extent to which he was startlingly ahead of his time.' --The Guardian

'The genius of Leonardo da Vinci is conveyed in a warm and entertaining tale at the heart of which is the relationship between Leonardo and his apprentice Giacomo. The illustrations are full of fascinating details, inviting us into the everyday world of Leonardo. The clarity of line and earthy colours are ideally sited to locating the tale evocatively within the Florentine architectural landscape. The challenge of such a biography to get across the extent and variety of Leonardo da Vinci's genius without resorting to a mere list of his achievements is brilliantly met both in the tale and in the book's frame of a double page at the beginning and end full of Leonardo's sketches... This is a wonderful book, to be enjoyed again and again by readers far outside the publisher's suggested ages of 8 to 12.' --Montessori Magazine

National Gallery, London
With innovative illustration complementing the fascinating story, this truly beautiful book is appealing to all age groups.

About the Author
Guido Visconti was born in Milan, Italy, in 1955. After taking a degree in literature and philosophy, he worked as a school teacher in Italy for several years before moving to India in 1985. He now directs a village school in India with his wife. The Genius of Leonardo is Guido Visconti's first Barefoot Book. Bimba Landmann is the highly acclaimed illustrator of A Boy Named Giotto (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1999), which was selected as one of the Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children list, 1999, and which has also won prestigious awards in France and Germany. She is also the illustrator of Journey into the Blue Night (Edizioni Arka, 1997), which won first prize at the Premio Nazionale Val Vibrata. Bimba is married to the art critic Paolo Guarnieri, and lives in Milan, Italy.