Leonardo da Vinci

""A fascinating biographical investigation and a staunch piece of social criticism.""---Dan Hofstadter, Wall Street Journal ""[An] erudite study. . . . buttressed by scrupulous research and extensive knowledge of his subject, [Leonardo da Vinci] is a thought-provoking reassessment of an artistic giant and his legacy."" * Publishers Weekly * ""Perceptive and authoritative…. [Leonardo da Vinci is] a vigorous meditation on life-writing and one artist’s reality."" * Kirkus Reviews * ""Campbell’s An Untraceable Life is a bold re-evaluation of Leonardo da Vinci, challenging the myths surrounding one of history’s most iconic figures. Campbell’s intelligent re-contextualization presents Da Vinci not as an unreachable genius but as a deeply human artist of his time, making this a thought-provoking read for those drawn to the nuances of Renaissance art.""---Megan Fox Kelly, Observer.com ""An erudite treatise.""---Trevor Fairbrother, The Arts Fuse ""Campbell’s Leonardo da Vinci reminds us of the lies and self-congratulations we employ to create useful history, making historical figures serve our current ideas.""---Joseph Bottum, Washington Examiner ""Stephen Campbell does a learned, lively and convincing demolition job in Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life . . . .It removes—like Salome’s seven veils or layers of archeological encrustations—the many contemporary distortions of Leonardo and places the artist in a less fanciful but more authentic historical context.""---Jeffrey Meyers, The Article ""Searingly brilliant. . . .Campbell is unfailingly authoritative and compelling. And in so expertly skewering the legends about this most famous of artists, he has given us a Leonardo who is infinitely more fascinating – and unfamiliar – than ever before.""---Alexander Lee, The Spectator ""Campbell’s writing is erudite yet accessible, engaging yet rigorously skeptical. He challenges the reader to reconsider not just Leonardo, but the very way we approach history and biography. . . .For anyone seeking a fresh, thought-provoking perspective on Leonardo da Vinci, An Untraceable Life is an essential read."" * Sri Lanka Guardian * ""Fascinating. . . .Campbell’s study covers a broad terrain, and he deftly explains some of the methodological approaches in art-historical writing and complex Renaissance theoretical concepts for a non-specialist reader.""---Sarah McBryde, The Art Newspaper ""The value of, and perhaps urgent need for, an ‘antibiography’ seems evident. . . . Campbell’s critical handling of the textual material, from Leonardo’s own writings and contemporary biographical and art-theoretical texts to nineteenth- and twentieth-century criticism and publications of the last few years, is exemplary.""---Francis Ames-Lewis, Burlington Magazine ""Campbell meticulously distinguishes between myth and fact.""---Barbara Spindel, Wall Street Journal