Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz

It’s Friday! You know what that means.

Today’s Fantastic (Non)Fiction Friday pick has nothing to do with Andy Warhol. Or Pop Art. Sorry if you were looking forward to that. Hopefully I’ll stumble upon a good Andy Warhol book in the future.

Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, an inventor, an architect, an engineer, a musician. He was many things other than an artist and he had widespread dreams. One of those dreams was to build a bronze horse that was three times the size of a living horse.

Da Vinci was hired by the duke of Milan to build this horse. He sculpted the massive horse out of clay but couldn’t figure out to cast it in bronze.

Jean Fritz tells this story in Leonardo’s Horse. But the story doesn’t stop there. Fritz shows us how Leonardo finally got his horse, 500 years later.

This is a lovely story that would be a good read aloud, especially for children in 2nd or 3rd grade. I especially love how clearly this book explains how such a large sculpture is cast into bronze.

Return to main page.

Create Your Own Leonardo da Vinci Journal

Thanks for waiting patiently for a post today. I’m caught up now with my school work.

Leonardo da Vinci observed everything around him. He often took notes about what he saw. He also wrote down the things he learned from his studies and experiences. He kept journals throughout his life which included writing, drawings, and diagrams. There was something strange about his journals, though: he wrote everything backward.

Leonardo wrote in mirror writing. The writing looks like a mess but if you hold it up to a mirror you can read it perfectly (if you read Italian). Some believe that Leonardo did this to keep his work secret. Others think he wrote backward because he was left-handed and didn’t want to the ink to smudge. Either way it’s pretty tricky.

Today, make your own journal and record your observations like Leonardo did.

Supplies Needed:

5 (or more) sheets of copy paper
1 piece of cardboard or heavy paper
Needle and thread
OR
Hole punch and yarn
Fold each sheet of paper in half. Stack the folded sheets inside each other. Your journal should already look like a book. Fold the heavy paper or cardboard to create a cover.
Older kids can open the book to the center and sew along the fold line.
Younger kids should have a parent help them punch holes down the left side of the closed book. Then, weave the yarn through the holes and tie off at the end. Use a dull, plastic yarn needle or just push the yarn through with your fingers.

Decorate the cover anyway you wish.

Take your journal outside and record what you see. You may wish to try your hand at mirror writing or make up your own secret writing.

Return to main page.

The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg

If you are interested in Leonardo da Vinci, and there is a lot more to him than what I told you yesterday, you should read The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E. L. Konigsburg.

You may remember E. L. Konigsburg as the author of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She is a fantastic writer and The Second Mrs. Gioconda is another great story.

In this novel meant for readers ages 9-12, Konigsburg gives one possible story of the painting of the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is an incredibly mysterious painting. We don’t really know much about the woman in the painting and we don’t know what led Leonardo da Vinci to paint her portrait. Konigsburg answers these questions (but remember this book is fiction).

The main character is Salai, one of Leonardo’s servants. Salai never had talent for painting. He was dishonest and he was a thief. Nevertheless, Leonardo liked the boy and kept him around. It is through Salai that you will get to know Leonardo.

I recommend checking out this book.

Return to main page.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was an amazing man who lived and worked during the Renaissance. He was a master painter as well as a scientist, engineer, researcher, inventor, and musician. This post, of course, will focus on his art.

Leonardo was born in 1452 in Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci was not his last name. His name means Leonardo from Vinci.
As a teenager, Leonardo became an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio. Verrocchio was a well known painter, sculptor, and goldsmith with a large studio and many apprentices. Leonardo learned a lot from his teacher. By the time he was 20, Leonardo could paint as well as Verrocchio. He soon decided to start his own studio.

Leonardo took on apprentices of his own and was able to earn a living as a master artist. He painted for many important people and, when he was 30, he moved to Milan, Italy to paint for the ruling family, the Sforza. In 1499 the Sforza was overthrown and a new family came into power. Leonardo moved back to Florence (near Vinci) but in eight years he returned to Milan.
The king of France became an important patron of Leonardo. He allowed the artist to paint whatever he pleased.

Leonardo longed to paint for the Pope. He moved to Rome in 1513 but there were already several great painters working for the Pope, including Michelangelo.

In 1516 Leonardo moved into a small castle that was bought for him by the new king of France. He stayed there until he died in 1519. While living in the castle, Leonardo continued to paint. He also gave the king advice.
There are several reasons why Leonardo’s paintings are so amazing. Leonardo studied the human body. He learned exactly how all the muscles moved and how the body looked in different positions. This allowed him to create realistic paintings.

Leonardo was great at observing people. He noticed little details about hands and feet and especially faces. He was a master at painting facial expressions.
He also studied plants and trees, rocks and soil. He studied anything he painted so his art would look as real as possible.

Finally, Leonardo figured out how to use perspective to make more realistic paintings.

Notice all these things in the pictures scattered throughout this post. The first painting is The Annunciation, the second is John the Baptist, the third is The Last Supper, and the forth is The Mona Lisa.

Return to main page.