[DOC] Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980ndash;1984 by Ian Glasper at Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Irreverent; Informal; InsightfulBy John D. CofieldLeonardo da Vincis aura is so overwhelming that it makes sense to believe that his life has been thoroughly documented; that his every step; word; and thought are known; and that his artistic output must be enormous. Actually; as Mike Lankford makes clear in his fascinating new biography; far less is known about Leonardo than most of his fellow Renaissance artists; and much of what is known is debatable and liable to misinterpretation.In bringing Leonardo to life Lankford also recreates the Renaissance as it really was: a violent; dirty place rank with bad smells and disease; where conquering armies stood ready to upend society by overthrowing one tyrant and replacing him with another. Far from being the universally recognized and admired genius we know today; Leonardo spent much of his life in the shadows; wisely lying low when epidemics and warfare grew too close for comfort; departing one city for another when danger loomed; and seeking income and safety from a variety of patrons whose volatile careers threatened to destroy him more than once. Leonardo bubbled over with ideas and plans; often quickly sketched out or described in his famous mirror writing in a series of notebooks; but unfortunately rarely got around to seeing his ideas come to fruition. He was a notorious perfectionist; keeping some paintings with him for years while abruptly abandoning others; experimenting with new paints and mixtures that often decayed or molded; and always highly distractable; unable to focus on any of the twenty or thirty tasks he seemed to have on hand at any one time.Lankford uses a modern vernacular which is informal and often irreverent; superb for conveying the full flavor of Leonardos life and times. He does a superb job of surmising the many missing chapters in Leonardos life; including how long he must have spent in jail on a sodomy charge; or how he must have reacted to the many wars that raged across Renaissance Italy; or indeed what it was like to actually be Leonardo: bewhiskered; sometimes brightly dressed but more often shabby; his sexuality a matter for speculation then and now; in turns arrogant; haughty; or humble until finally; at the (then advanced) age of 64; he finally wore himself out.There are more scholarly and more thoroughly documented biographies of Leonardo available; but none will bring him to life so well as Becoming Leonardo.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Bringing Leonardo To LifeBy JayByrdUnless you are an art history major; Leonardo daVinci may not be someone whose life sounds exciting. Wrong! Author Mike Lankford explores the world the artist lived in realistic detail and with a passion for the genius of the man;his work; and the fascinating people who entered his life and sponsored his work. This non-fiction reads like a novel and one you cant put down. If more biographies were written in such an articulate and engaging style more young people would enjoy history. I highly recommend this book for a fresh look at an old master as well as an engaging; thought provoking read.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Weird Weed of CreativityBy Starved for ItAs a reader previously unfamiliar with Leonardos life; I found this a breezy; almost gossipy introduction to both the artist and Renaissance Italy. Mr. Lankford takes his subject seriously but not himself; and its a refreshing approach. This is a colorful; informative book about a fascinating man. Because this was life lived mostly in obscurity five hundred years ago there are a lot of blanks to fill in; and Lankford; in doing this very imaginatively also takes the reader through a rumination on the creative process.