Leonardo da Vinci was truly a great artist, even though he didn't leave behind that many works of art. This little book, however, points out all the areas of observation that an artist needs to be aware of. These points are not taught in art classes. Most artists come by these pointers and tips after many long years of trial and error. Artists are visual problem solvers. And excellent observation skills are critical to being a successful artist. I have read and reread parts of the book when I make my studies, and it has been tremendously helpful.

LEONARDO DA VINCI: MASTER DRAFTSMAN is a magnificent addition to the library about this extraordinary Renaissance genius. Published as a 'catalogue' for the exhibition that just left the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the weighty book is successful on all levels. The Curator and driving force fo the exhibition, Carmen C. Bambach, has firmly established her credentials in this vast survey of da Vinci's drawings of human anatomy, both precise observations (eg 'Abdomen and Left Leg of a Nude Man Standing in Profile page 556) and artistic distortions ( the grotesque faces on pages 684 - 693), of his 'inventions' as a scientist, of simple observations ('A Copse of Trees'on page 469 for instance), of the technical aspects of drawing and painting (brilliantly executed examples of draping the figure as on pages 289 and 563), and sketches for numerous painting proposals. The first 225 pages of this elegant book are devoted to various essays about da Vinci, all written by erudite scholars who are immensely readable. The last half of the book is an in-depth presentation of the catalogue of the show, serenely annotated by Carmen Bambach. There are ample sections of documentation and easy references to the bibiliography and timeline for da Vinci's life. The drawings and paintings are beautifuly reproduced on first quality paper and the book, (though heavy as a lap book!), is artistically designed and produced. This magnificent volume will be the gold standard for da Vinci's drawings and should be part of every library on the Renaissance and on art history. Highly Recommended.

I read Mr. Kemp's book and feel that he really did his homework. Mr. Kemp clearly shows what knowledge was available to Leonardo and explains where he made his leaps of genius in the realms of scientific, medical and artistic discovery. The book is a work of great scholarship and really helps the reader to understand one of the greatest minds of the Renaissance or any age for that matter.

Da Vinci's anatomical drawing is not simply scientific record. It is a great man's comtemplation on humanity through the very basics of physical form. To back up this kind of inquiry, you need a god to in your soul or you have to be the god youself. Without this spiritual aspect, scientific research would turn into something crudely utilitarian or cruelly inhumane as we all have noticed in so many cases in the modern world.

Da Vince is not some mad scientist who messed up with corpses secretly as in a Frenkenstein movie. But do we ever noticed their difference in this country, the supposed most advance country in technology and science? This book would make you think.

I thought that this was a great book! The images of Da Vinci's notebook are excellent. Although if you are looking for a translation of the pages this is not the book for you. This book only gives brief descriptions of what is written on the page - which is to bad because what they translate from his notebook only makes you want to read more of what Da Vinci wrote about. Overall I thought it was a great book for reference. I could not ask for more beautiful images.

This work simply goes way beyond any other review of Leonardo I have read. Based on a analytical disection of Leonardo's efforts not only of art yet his reasoning to create his masterpieces.The book borders on passing into a new dimension the one Leonardo attempted to enter. " OH wretched mortals open your eyes" (L) This work is capable of comparing the Art, the Expression, the Daily or instant feelings relative to the change, as the Human evolved during this period. Comparing God, Man, Nature, and Beast as they changed the World we live in.

I really enjoyed this very good entry-level treatise on L.d.V. In my opinion the emphasis is correctly placed and pictures of great quality (although some are small in size) help the reader grasp the essence of Leonardo's spirit and become familiar with the best-known parts of his work.

Leonardo Da Vinci's anatomical drawings, due to his extreme curiosity, became one of his most profound works to date. Published by Dover from the original text 1952. The book is set up in 2 columns and broken up into headers of different anatomical structures; either of bones, muscles, ventricles of the heart or brains. The chapters are broken into systems: nervous, cardiovascular, myological, osteological, respitory, alimentary and others. Within the text there are italicized words. These are the words written on the drawing itself, in Leonardo's usual backward writing style. Some of you might be curious, beyond the drawings themselves to read what Leonardo thought at the time. And from there is the authors commentary. For those interested in anatomy, drawing, painting or anything in the art field, this book is highly reccoemended, for it has limitless reference value. I continually look at it for my drawings. One will also notice that many of the "models" are of the same body or person. This is because Leonardo asked a friend on his deathbed if he could cut him up, dissect him and then draw him. The friend, of course, consented to this, and so we have Leonardo's masterpiece. Highly reccomended! Also reccomended is his Notebooks, also printed by Dover.

This book out of all the history textbooks that I have ever had is one of my favorites. It does a great job of being concise and not bombarding you with irrelevant information that has nothing to do with the work at hand. The pictures where great and depth that the book goes into is right on target. This books reads almost like a story making it much more enjoyable to read than most.

This is a terrific book for small children. Visually, it is beautiful. The marriage of Leonardo's drawings with real life images are very engaging. The author ably captures the breadth and beauty of Leonardo's genius and presents it in a very appealing, child friendly form. This delightful little book is a must for any child's library.