Leonardo da Vinci, as played by Aidan Turner in new period drama
Leonardo, is a man out of his time. He imagines the world from above, sees pioneering cinematic compositions on blank walls, designs war machines that will not be fully realised by other minds until centuries later. Yet this Leonardo is also erratic, and hamstrung by his quest for perfection.
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It is true that the painter often delayed and procrastinated, taking years to complete many of his famous works and leaving countless more unfinished. Bringing humanity to the universally accepted fact of Leonardo’s genius is a new drama, written by Frank Spotnitz and Steve Thompson. But how do you create a 21st-century drama that conveys the ground-breaking nature of Leonardo’s work?
Published:
April 9, 2021 at 7:05 am
Artists today generally paint what they wish to paint, hoping to make a living by selling their work at exhibitions or through dealers. But early in the Italian Renaissance, painters were regarded still as craftsmen rather than artists. They were ruled by the conventions of their workshops, and for any major painting commission they were at the behest of a client or patron. The patron might sometimes be benign, allowing their painter some independence, but often they were considerably more demanding. Contracts usually outlined in detail exactly what the painter was to show in his work, and imposed clear conditions on the quality of materials to be used, the delivery date and how much the painter would be paid.
Leonardo will be a chance to see Aidan Turner again. Since the end of
Poldark a year and a half ago, the Irish actor has been off our screens – but now we see why. This retelling of the life of the great Renaissance artist is a huge undertaking, running over eight parts and marshalled by
The Man In The High Castle showrunner Frank Spotnitz and
Sherlock writer Steve Thompson. It covers not only the creation of masterpieces including, of course, the
Mona Lisa, but also plenty of other adventures.
Leonardo launches on 16th April on Amazon Prime Video
Even before its release, there have been controversies around the show. Chief among these is the presence of a possible love interest, Leonardo’s muse Caterina da Cremona, played by Matilda De Angelis of
Monday, 15th March 2021 at 1:29 pm
As if 2020 wasn’t miserable enough, Poldark fans also had to endure their first year since the smash-hit period drama ended, meaning a distinct lack of Aidan Turner in the schedules.
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Fortunately, that won’t be the case for too much longer as the former Being Human star is preparing to launch his latest series: a mysterious drama inspired by the life of Leonardo da Vinci.
The show has been in the works for quite some time after suffering a pandemic-related delay, but has finally found a home on Amazon Prime Video and will be with us next month.
The Amazing Real-Life Story Of Leonardo Da Vinci
By Nicholas Vrchoticky/Feb. 5, 2021 11:07 am EDT
The Renaissance period, through the 15th and 16th centuries, was marked with great artistic, technological, and social advancement. The invention of the printing press revolutionized literacy throughout Europe by providing a means to mass produce literature. Tensions between rulers and the mighty hand of the Catholic church created conflicts that left states in constant turmoil. Some of the greatest artists in history emerged to create masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel and become the naming inspiration for an angsty group of crime-fighting reptiles centuries later. But, there s only one man who s thought to have been both the complete embodiment of the period, and that was Leonardo da Vinci.