Leonardo and the Last Supper

By: Ross King

Narrated by: Mark Meadows

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Early in 1495, Leonardo da Vinci began work in Milan on what would become one of history's most influential and beloved works of art - The Last Supper. After a dozen years at the court of Lodovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, Leonardo was at a low point personally and professionally: at 43, in an era when he had almost reached the average life expectancy, he had failed, despite a number of prestigious commissions, to complete anything that truly fulfilled his astonishing promise. His latest failure was a giant bronze horse to honor Sforza's father: His 75 tons of bronze had been expropriated to be turned into cannons to help repel a French invasion of Italy. The commission to paint The Last Supper in the refectory of a Dominican convent was a small compensation, and his odds of completing it were not promising: Not only had he never worked on a painting of such a large size - 15' high x 30' wide - but he had no experience in the extremely difficult medium of fresco. In his compelling new book, Ross King explores how - amid war and the political and religious turmoil around him, and beset by his own insecurities and frustrations - Leonardo created the masterpiece that would forever define him. King unveils dozens of stories that are embedded in the painting. Examining who served as the models for the Apostles, he makes a unique claim: that Leonardo modeled two of them on himself. Reviewing Leonardo's religious beliefs, King paints a much more complex picture than the received wisdom that he was a heretic. The food that Leonardo, a famous vegetarian, placed on the table reveals as much as do the numerous hand gestures of those at Christ's banquet. As King explains, many of the myths that have grown up around The Last Supper are wrong, but its true story is ever more interesting. Bringing to life a fascinating period in European history, Ross King presents an original portrait of one of the world's greatest geniuses through the lens of his most famous work.

©2012 Ross King (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Another solid Ross King Art Story

I tried this out on a whim. I didn’t think there was much to say about this painting, great though it certainly is. Well, I was wrong. Really worth a listen, in fact two listens!

If you were curious about davinci...

It was a good narrative for art enthusiasts who want to know more about this era of art history. A very enjoyable book!

Fantastic.

Loved it! Ross king does it again. I love that his books tell a rich and detailed story of the context of the subject.

Narrator is tone deaf.

This complex story suffers from a narrator’s voice that fails to modulate between war sags, biographic tales, and direct quotations from multiple primary sources. Probably a better read than audible version.

Sadly Lacking

There are interesting bits here and there but in general the book was sadly lacking in what I thought it would be about: Leonardo. The author seemed to be more interested in homosexuality in Italy during Leonardo’s time period than Leonardo himself. Quite a bit of speculation on the writer’s part making the individuals he wrote about very one dimensional. He is also describing Catholic art and imagery without really understanding much about Catholicism or sacred things. Unfortunately the book did not give a good impression of Leonardo; he was more of an unmotivated individual when it came to his art, often not completing commissions or taking a huge amount of time to finish. What should have been a fascinating subject matter was turned into a dull rambling slog.

VERY disappointed

Greatly enjoyed same author's book on Michelangelo.

Greatly disappointed that THIS book had relatively little to do with Leonardo. Rather, it seemed more of an inexorable discourse of the histories of Spain and France in their troubled interactions among themselves and Italy. I kept waiting for it all to become relevant, but it never did.

Narrator just kept slogging along in monotone. I don't think another narrator could have "saved it," though. Wrong choice. his reading of Italian names seemed good, but I am not well versed in Italian.

Generally well written and informative about topics covered. Just not much about Leonardo. I'm generally quite interested in European history.

Love Leonardo!

This was the second Ross King book I have listened to and they are excellent! After listening I feel like Leonardo is part of the family and I appreciate his genius so much more. The narrator is fabulous. Highly recommended.

Kudos

This book was extremely well written and read. A coherent story told from the contemporary perspective. I will listen to this several times as there is so much detail. Kudos.

Fascinating background as well as Leonardo!

Excellent book that places Leonardo in context not only in are history but also in every other aspect of his vast intelligence. Weaves a complete story of Italy and all that was happening before and during his lifetime.
Beautifully narrated! A joy to listen to on tedious trips up and down I-95!

leonard and the Last Supper

good listen some parts were boring too many dates to keep up with it was more about him than painting rate it a C.