spins through PBS”Leonardo da Vinci“remind us that How similar was his era to ours?. Da Vinci’s Renaissance was a time of doubt and great uncertainty. His birthplace, Florence, Italy, was an oligarchy shaped by wealthy families, including that of Cossimo de Medici, a generous patron of the arts, where an artistic class flourished.

The self-taught genius rode the waves of political and cultural transformation by establishing connections with other wealthy, broadly intelligent individuals. Still, if the price was right, he wasn’t above aligning himself with the powerful men. When he wasn’t working on masterpieces that would last for centuries, he was inventing weapons, diagrams, and maps. Cesare Borgia and offers its services to the rulers of other city-states.

When a religious fanatic came to power in his native Florence and inspired mass burnings of portraits, carnival masks, mirrors, perfumes and other ostentatious objects, da Vinci turned to architectural designs. His later years yielded some of the most important early sketches of human physiology, as well as discoveries that revolutionized medicine.

The four-hour “Leonardo da Vinci” directed by him Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon represent the first documentary profile of Burns on a non-American subject. But in its own way, it fits very well with the filmmakers’ exploration of the American story.

Biographer and journalist Walter Isaacson recognized this when he suggested that the Burnses and McMahon guide viewers through da Vinci’s storied life and accomplishments. So are the various personalities who speak of its multidisciplinary creativity, a cast that includes engineers, historians, writers and director Guillermo Del Toro.

Do we still call every so-called innovator a disruptor? – aims to become da Vinci, whether they accept that this is the case or not. As the Renaissance artist personified the term, there are few or no who qualify as true sages who do not benefit from a traditional education. In his time, only legitimate family heirs could attend universities, and da Vinci was born out of wedlock.

Had he received the formal education of an heiress, da Vinci would probably have become a notary. Instead, he learned by observing the world around him, inspired by nature and the art of calculation. “Nature begins with cause and ends with experience,” he wrote.

Fetus in the Womb by Leonardo da Vinci (Courtesy of PBS/CreditRoyal Collection Trust/© His Majesty King Charles III, 2024/Bridgeman Images)Da Vinci’s rendering of the world enabled him to transcend the acclaimed definition of painter, sketch artist, and sculptor. His work cemented his status as an engineer, scientist, and theorist whose findings would remain instructive centuries after he lived.

“He’s the embodiment of what it means to be fully alive and aware and questioning everything,” Ken Burns told TV reporters watching the PBS presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour in July.

But please resist the urge to compare him to some tech-leaving brethren. As one expert explains, although much of his work consists of many incomplete pieces, this is because the questions he asks himself cannot be easily answered. Translation: He thought broadly but realized that implementing certain concepts was beyond the scope of what he could or wanted to do.

Such a consideration did not stop the director from bringing da Vinci’s story to life in a way that captured his essence and captivated the audience. Observation of the writer and essayist Serge Bramly It sums up the philosophy that fueled the execution of the four-hour, two-part documentary: “Leonardo himself was a work of art even before he created art,” says Bramly.

He was talking about how da Vinci appeared in paintings, whether painted by others or self-portraits, how he dressed and how he looked. It also suits the dizzying swirl of animation intertwined with images of human expressions, features, interviews and narration, presented side by side with the artist’s works and writings. “Leonardo da Vinci” differs from Burns’ other works by imitating his way of seeing the world before telling the story of wisdom.

Its unique style can be attributed in part to necessity. “One of the reasons we were interested in the movie was the challenge of how to visually capture who he was,” McMahon told critics in July. “We wouldn’t have the archives. “We wouldn’t be able to get the photos or the film.”

Not only that, but as Sarah Burns points out, the historical record of da Vinci’s life and that of most artists is thin at best. “Although Leonardo left behind thousands of pages of notebook entries that give us this wonderful way of getting inside his head, he very rarely writes about his personal life and his feelings about events. “That’s what he thinks about all the time,” he said.

Burns was referring to the limited records confirming da Vinci’s sexual orientation. (The film tells of a legal document tying him to a scandal involving a friend accused of engaging in homosexual acts, and his lifelong association with his student Andrea Salaì to address that conversation.)

But this also defines the ways in which the documentary imagines the mechanics of da Vinci’s logic and creative flights. McMahon explained that da Vinci’s deep interest in nature and his ambivalent view of art and science led to the filmmakers’ decision to set aside tried-and-true cinematic traditions.

This detour has resulted in a work that evokes emotions through visuals alone. One can watch “Leonardo da Vinci” with the sound off and be fascinated and most importantly, calm down. With the sound on, we are immersed in a tapestry of languages ​​and Caroline ShawThe classic Burnsian touch of Keith David’s narration along with the transparent music intertwined with daily readings by Italian actor Adriano Giannini.

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It’s as if the filmmakers were trying to create an intellectually nurturing rival for themselves. Calm app content: While watching “Leonardo da Vinci,” you may feel your anxieties melt away, you wake up again, and you feel completely engaged. It may even restore your faith in humanity.

The Virgin and Child by Leonardo Da Vinci (Courtesy of PBS/Musee du Louvre via Art Resource)The Renaissance gave birth to many forms of thought; The same period that gave us da Vinci and his one-named rival Michelangelo also gave us Niccolò Machiavelli “whose job”Prince” still instructing power hungry bros on how to get ahead by acting like a slave F- former president.

In this dark, anti-Enlightenment hour of our nation’s history, Machiavelli’s philosophy might seem to have broader relevance. His treatise was intended to educate the rich and powerful on the best ways to outwit each other and subjugate the working classes, and he concluded that the peasants would never read it.

Da Vinci’s earlier mechanical schemes included devices for removing bars on windows and opening a prison cell. We will decide for ourselves which of these ideas is more inspiring.

“Leonardo da Vinci” airs in two parts on Monday, Nov. 18 and Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. on PBS member stations. Check your local listings.