Anthology of the collected writings of Leonardo de Vinci. Edited by Martin Kemp; selected and translated by Kemp and Margaret Walker. "The book begins by looking at Leonardo's general principles of painting, including the famous paragone, the comparison of the arts. Then follow sections on the optical foundations of art, the human body, the appearance of nature and the practice of painting, including instructions for the artist and evocative accounts of the subject matter. The translations remain close to the originals, with particular attention paid to technical terms that have changed in meaning since the time of writing. Illustrations from Leonardo's paintings and drawings are interwoven with the text to show the relationship between theory and practice. This book - the authoritative anthology of Leonardo's writings on painting - is an invaluable reference work for art historians as well as for anyone interested in the mind and methods of one of the world's greatest creative geniuses." -- from back wrapper. Includes manuscript sources and notes, glossary of problematic terms, bibliography and abbreviations, and an index. Printed in black-and-white.