A00354 - Leonardo da Vinci: A Film from Ken Burns

 The past weekend, I viewed Leonardo da Vinci, the latest documentary film from Ken Burns



While the scenes of the Italian countryside were captivating, I was not so captivated by the story.  I suppose I have been spoiled by the rather tumultuous story of Vincent Van Gogh, but the story of da Vinci seemed rather tame to me.  No doubt, da Vinci was a genius.  He kept copious notebooks all written in his backwards script which testify to his otherworldly mental acuity and his polymath interests. However, it is hard to appreciate some of his engineering innovations as opposed to the beauty of his art masterpieces.  And one wonders, how many more art masterpieces might have been created if he had been able to focus on art alone.

Nevertheless, I am glad that I watched Leonardo because I did learn more about him and his times.  In conjunction with my viewing of the Ric Burns documentary Dante: Inferno to Paradise


I feel as though I have learned more about Italian history and literature this year than I ever have.  This assessment is bolstered my continued reading of Dante's Divine Comedy.  Based on all the individuals I have encountered in Dante's Hell and Purgatory, it is a marvel that da Vinci was able to produce any art at all.  

While I do not think it is Ken Burns best work, I do recommend that everyone watch it and ponder on why his first documentary outside of the United States does not have quite the same feel as the 40 other films he has made about America.

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins 
Fairfield, California
November 25, 2024

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