What a treat! This past Monday I had the chance to go to the WNED PBS Studios for a screening reel and panel discussion on the new Leonardo Da Vinci documentary film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon. The new four hour documentary will premiere on November 18th on PBS.

At the WNED PBS Studios, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Panel Discussion with David McMahon, Yvonne K. Widenor, Ryan St. Pierre, Simone Ragland and moderator Keiah Shaku
While many films exist about Leonardo, this one takes a fresh approach, delving into his life and legacy from a more humanistic perspective – examining his humanity, just as Leonardo himself explored the humanity of biblical characters like Mary in his paintings.
With voiceover narration representing Leonardo reading from his notebooks, the film uses split screens, dreamlike imagery, and expert commentary to capture the essence of a man whose genius extended far beyond painting.
So, what makes his genius unique? Unlike his contemporaries, and as a non-legitimate child, Leonardo did not receive an academic education. Instead he was sent to Florence as an apprentice to the Italian painter and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio. He gives us the answer when he says: “Nature is God” and “My divine duty is to question.”
The many interests on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and palaeontology, that occupied his time, are all recorded in detail in his notebooks. Not surprisingly his collection of (mostly commissioned) art works throughout his life is not larger than 15 or 17 paintings, with many remaining unfinished.
His genius, physical beauty and charisma brought him such fame that towards the end of his life, at 63, the young King of France, Francis I, invited him to live at Château du Clos Lucé, one of his castles in Amboise, France. It was the best period of his life, Leonardo reveals in his notebooks, when he had the most freedom to explore and enjoy life as he pleased. Francis, a patron of the arts, asked nothing of Leonardo in return – all he wanted was to be in his company.
Knowing he would never return to his homeland, Leonardo brought all his paintings with him, including his unfinished Mona Lisa (he painted the Mona Lisa between 1503 and 1519). He died in 1519 at the age of 67 and was buried in the Saint Hubert chapel at Château d’Amboise. After his death, his paintings became part of the French royal collection and have been on display at the Louvre in Paris since 1797.
I found it courageous of the filmmakers – Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon – to take on such a monumental subject and body of work. Moreover, as David McMahon admitted, this was their first offshore documentary. Having watched 30 minutes of the four-hour documentary, I can’t wait to see the rest!
What a great event organized by the Buffalo-Toronto Public Media (which also funded the movie) in collaboration with Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, The Foundry and Buffalo Museum of Science. The event also featured a compelling video introduction to the Buffalo State Art Conservation Department and the art and science of art preservation.
You can pre-order the movie on PBS or stream it on PBS or Amazon.