The Da Vinci Legacy : How an Elusive 16th-Century Artist Became a Global Pop Icon

**For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death comes an immersive journey through five centuries of history to define the Leonardo mystique and uncover how the elusive Renaissance artist became a global pop icon.** Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark. But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the __Mona Lisa__ and the __Last Supper__ the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and __Salvator Mundi__ selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars? This extraordinary volume, lavishly illustrated with 130 color images, is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo's fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history. For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vincis death, an acclaimed art historian and an art connoisseur uncover how this elusive artist became a pop icon with megastar status in modern times. Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. Although he produced few finished works, it was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark. What has never been told before, however, is how these revolutionary inventions were inserted into the bloodstream of Western artand how they made Leonardo the internationally-renowned icon he is today. This is the great mystery of Leonardos legacy: if his tangible output was so limited, how did his mystique as a solitary genius survive five centuries of European history? And why does it continue to fascinate us in modern times? The Da Vinci Legacy is the first book to unravel this mystery by taking an immersive journey through the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe, from the Renaissance to today. Through captivating text enhanced by one hundred color images, this book takes off where Walter Isaacsons portrait of Leonardo left off. It captures not only the reason for the enduring allure of The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper but also explores the secrets of Leonardos creativity, and the strange phenomena that intervened to make sure Leonardo was not forgotten to the dusty pages of history. The release of the book will coincide with the broadcast of The Search for the Mona Lisa, a dramatized documentary produced by Pantheon Studios in Santa Monica, Calif., which optioned the rights to The Da Vinci Legacy. Scheduled for broadcast on Public Television in May of 2019, the film was shot on location in Italy and France with more than 60 actors and extras, including renowned Italian actor Alessandro Demcenko as Leonardo da Vinci. Pantheon Studios previously produced the feature-length documentary Walt: The Man Behind the Myth, the official biography of Walt Disney, now streaming on Netflix. "The traditional view of Leonardo da Vinci's career is that he enjoyed a promising start in Florence and then moved to Milan to become the celebrated court artist of Duke Ludovico Sforza. Young Leonardo proves all of this wrong. It reveals how the struggling painter was repeatedly snubbed by the prevailing trends of Florentine style before escaping to Milan empty-handed. But Milan offered little more; Sforza's patronage was lukewarm, to say the least, and all the major commissions went to artists whose names are now forgotten. How did the amateur become one of the all-time greatest masters? Slowly, meticulously, disastrously. Focusing on an often neglected period in Leonardo's life, here is a fascinating window into the artist's mind as he develops the techniques that will transform Western art forever. Because before there could be a Last Supper, a Mona Lisa, a St. Anne, there had to be a young Leonardo"-- Provided by publisher How did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today? This book unravels this mystery by diving into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. Gives context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo's fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history