Isaacson is stronger when he’s on familiar turf, showing us Leonardo the scientist and innovator, the engineer and secret doctor . Unlike Michelangelo, who was dour and self-denying, Leonardo was generous and convivial, partial to robes of purple and pink. PhotoAnd he was strikingly devoid of ego, “more interested in pursuing knowledge than in publishing it,” Isaacson writes. Yet in the conclusion of “Leonardo da Vinci,” Isaacson capitulates to the easy seductions of TED-ism, and boy is it disappointing. What endures after reading “Leonardo da Vinci” is just how indifferent to glory the man was.

Source: New York Times November 01, 2017 17:26 UTC