“Leonardo: Inside The Mind of A Genius,” A Ken Burns Documentary.
February 18th, 2025
Hello Everyone! I hope this missive finds you well.
We are currently watching the astounding Ken Burns documentary, “Leonardo: Inside the Mind of a Genius,” and I must say, the film is impressive. Not just for highlighting the revolutionary artistry of the subject, but also for the skill and elegance Ken displayed in bringing the life and work of the man into high relief. Leonardo, an artist whose name has become synonymous with genius and innovation, was a true visionary in every sense of the term.
In the exhaustively researched 2-part film, Burn’s manages to take a highly complex and nuanced subject and make it not only accessible to the average viewer, but entertaining and even, in moments, enthralling.
From, “The Battle of Anghiari,” a monumental work made all the more impressive given the fact that the painting remains unfinished, to advanced medical drawings of the human anatomy, to designing weapons of war and flying machines for the state, and engineering feats, including plans to divert rivers and aqueducts for the city of Florence, and finally, to the masterpieces, “The Mona Lisa,” “The Madonna on The Rocks,” “St. John The Baptist,” and “The Last Supper,” this documentary fully and completely essayed the man’s work, art cherished the world over for their perennial beauty, and power.
The sprawling material is carefully and meticulously examined with highlighted commentary from disciplines including art historians, engineers, cultural commentators, surgeons, and priests.
Leonardo was able to, “capture in gesture the movement and feeling of a complete person,” as one art historian in the film noted. Having seen his work firsthand at the Louvre in Paris, this is something I can personally attest to.
As an artist, I am fascinated with Leonardo’s treatise on water, its movement and form, how it rushes and undulates, rises and falls, submerges, and reveals. In Leonardo’s hand, the movement of water becomes more than just an element, but a force of poetic majesty.
There is so much more, but i will stop there, lest I belabour the point.
“Leonardo: Inside the Mind of a Genius,” is a mind-blowing exploration of his creative process and the culture and times of the environment in 15th-century Florence that shaped him.
Highly recommend this thought provoking and inspiring documentary. Please click on the iCloud link attached to see work I personally made inspired by the man.
