Bibliographic Information Fritz, J. (2001). Leonardo’s horse. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Summary
This is a story about the life of Leonard da Vinci and his dream to build a statue of a large bronze horse. Leonardo da Vinci has been mostly remembered in history for his paintings of Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, but he had a dream of building a bronze horse. He knew that he could do the job and be able to put his mark on history. He studied horses and learned where every muscle was. He wanted the horse to be perfect. Events beyond his control prevented Leonard from completing the job. He died in 1519 grieving for his horse.
Hundreds of years later, in 1977, Charlie Dent read a story about Leonardo’s unfinished horse. Charlie was also an artist and art lover. He decided to try to complete the project and make the horse a gift to the people of Italy form the American people. He built a special building with a dome roof, tall enough for the statue. He studied horses just like Leonardo. He worked very hard on the project, but became very ill and died in 1994 before he could complete the statue.
Charlie’s friends knew what this project meant to him, and they wanted to see his dream fulfilled. They contacted a sculptor named Nina Akamu. She agreed to finish the project and soon it became her dream too. Using her talent after many years of study in Italy, she was able to carry on the dream.
In 1999, the bronze statue was finally unveiled in Milan. Nina had written in tiny letters “Leonardo da Vinci” on the pupil of one eye of the horse. One the other eye, she had written “Charles Dent.” She put her own name in the curly mane of the horse. The dream had taken five hundred years to complete.
Impressions
An interesting feature of this book is its shape. It has a half circle on top of the book. This domelike shape is perfect with the illustrations by Hudson Talbott. The history, pictures, and the story are very interesting. There is also a step-by-step chart showing how a sculpture is made. This book is a great tribute to the talent and imagination of Leonardo da Vinci.
Review
A veteran writer of lively biographies has turned her attention to quite an engaging story: the biography of an equine sculpture. She starts with Leonardo da Vinci and his fascination with everything—drawing, sketching, writing, and musing—and with making: sculpture, weapons, even party tricks. He made a 24-foot-high clay model of a horse for the Duke of Milan, but before it could be cast, French archers and rain destroyed it. This haunted Leonardo for the rest of his life. It haunted American Charles Dent in the 1970s, also, and he vowed to produce Leonardo’s horse as a gift from the American people to the people of Italy. He died in 1994, but sculptor Nina Akamu and a host of others kept his promise. In typical Fritz (Why Not, Lafayette?, 1999, etc.) fashion, her story is filled with engaging details of Leonardo’s personality and his world. Likewise, the contemporary process by which the horse was created and cast is described with enough detail to fascinate but not to bore. Talbott (Forging Freedom, 2000, etc.) uses mixed media and collage to create his illustrations, which range from utterly recognizable scenes of Florence to the ghostly horses at Leonardo’s deathbed. The contemporary images are drawn with as much spirit and vitality as the Renaissance ones. An unusual biography for young people, and one well worth poring over, its format is also noteworthy. It has a rounded top, giving the artist ample opportunity for the dome under which the horse was built as well as a chance to explore a unique way of picturing a unique world. Together, Fritz and Talbott have forged an extraordinary tribute to two dreamers 500 years apart. (author’s note, Web site) (Biography. 7-12)
(2001, September 15). [Review of Leonardo’s Horse]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/jean-fritz/leonardos-horse/?spdy=2001
Library Use
This book could be considered a type of biography, informational book, and a story for the entertainment of readers about a dream that continued through various people until finished. It is a unique combination, and students in the library will enjoy a discussion about multiple genres deciphering what qualities make the book like a biography, an informational book, or for entertainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment