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Leonardo Pop-Ups
A beautiful and dynamic new way of looking at the work of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest painters, inventors, and scientists of all time. Experience the most famous Renaissance artist and inventor in a brand-new way. Courtney Watson McCarthy has crafted many brilliant pop-up books, featuring artists like Antoni Gaudi´ and Salvador Dali´, and Leonardo Pop-Ups is the most dynamic yet. McCarthy showcases a variety of pop-ups showing off Da Vinci’s many talents; beyond his famous Renaissance paintings, Da Vinci has also been called the father of paleontology and architecture, and has been credited with the inventions of such diverse machines as the helicopter, the parachute, and the tank. Featuring many of Da Vinci’s most enduring artworks, both as illustrations and pop-ups, including The Vitruvian Man , The Last Supper , and, of course, the Mona Lisa , Leonardo Pop-Ups also includes Da Vinci’s self-portrait, an overview of his architectural designs, and inventions such as a flapping ornithopter. A beautiful new way of looking into one of the greatest minds of all time, Leonardo Pop-Ups is fun for experienced art historians and budding artists alike. 6 color pop-ups and 12 color illustrations
- GenresArt
16 pages, Hardcover
Published April 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 9, 2024
I have wondered, how clever must have been those who designed this Pop-up book since they managed to turn me into a little child as soon as I opened it. Amusing, indeed.
August 2, 2019
Why we chose this book:
We love art and going to the "yimmy" (T's early pronunciation of "museum"), and we thoroughly enjoy pop-up books. Combine content and format, and you've got our attention. Thames and Hudson provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mom's Review (V)
This is not a children's picture book, which we knew beforehand. However, it is a book with pop-up pictures that will delight children. The first two pages of this enormous publication are a biography of Leonardo DaVinci, which T did not have interest in. All of the other pages open up to large, 3-D renditions of DaVinci's work, including The Annunciation, an ornithopter, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, a possible self-portrait, the Vitruvian Man, and multiple architectural designs. T has returned to these time and time again, asking if we can "look at the Leonardo book." A few paragraphs of text accompany each work, explaining the history, development, and reception of it. The language used is aimed at an older crowd, so I read some, and paraphrased a lot. (He starts with wanting to look at Leonardo Pop-Ups, then requests that I read it, then asks what different things mean.) We had many conversations, and came back to the book again and again. Each time, we looked at and discussed one or two of DaVinci's works. T was eager each time, but I think the language and my explanations demanded more of him than he was used to.
T and I were both interested to learn about the debates about the attribution of The Annunciation and how it was finally, more or less, resolved. We both tried our hand at backwards writing, at T's behest and to his disappointment. For someone who is still working on the linear aspect of writing, going a particular direction was not as exciting as he thought it would be. We also both enjoyed looking at the layers of images up close, touching them, and engaging a bit more physically than at the museum. I think that this was really the highlight for T. We both learned about DaVinci (some things rang a distant bell, like the backward writing), but the exciting part was to have multi-layered images that T could manipulate. We have other art books that we enjoy, but this was a different type of engagement. I think it was the perfect length for us; dissecting one or two works per sitting was just right. At this rate, we cover the whole book in a couple of days.
I strongly recommend Leonardo Pop-Ups to art lovers, pop-up enthusiasts, or those who want to learn about DaVinci.
Son's Review (T)
(Age: 4 years old)
T's favorite aspect of Leonardo Pop-Ups is that "They pop UPPPP!!!" He thinks that the horse sculpture and flying machine are "cool," and he likes hearing about the argument over who painted The Annunciation, saying, "I never knew that!" He would also like to fly in the ornithopter and seems to regard me as silly for not being certain about flying in it myself. I suppose it's a non-issue, however, as none of DaVinci's contraptions flew.
On The Annunciation:
"I like how the angel looks. I also like touching the stuff. I want to know how they x-rayed his paintings."
On inventions:
"I would design a fort. [Out of] wood, and V, one day, can we build a fort out of wood? And it's going to be in a tree, and I'm gonna climb up a ladder made of string, and you're gonna hold it steady"
(Did you catch that he's now calling me by my first name, instead of Mommy? Also, DaVinci designed a lot of forts.)
On what he would say to DaVinci:
"Wow! You could build a house for Pooh. A fort. I mean his house would be a fort!"
(Worlds collide!)
We love art and going to the "yimmy" (T's early pronunciation of "museum"), and we thoroughly enjoy pop-up books. Combine content and format, and you've got our attention. Thames and Hudson provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mom's Review (V)
This is not a children's picture book, which we knew beforehand. However, it is a book with pop-up pictures that will delight children. The first two pages of this enormous publication are a biography of Leonardo DaVinci, which T did not have interest in. All of the other pages open up to large, 3-D renditions of DaVinci's work, including The Annunciation, an ornithopter, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, a possible self-portrait, the Vitruvian Man, and multiple architectural designs. T has returned to these time and time again, asking if we can "look at the Leonardo book." A few paragraphs of text accompany each work, explaining the history, development, and reception of it. The language used is aimed at an older crowd, so I read some, and paraphrased a lot. (He starts with wanting to look at Leonardo Pop-Ups, then requests that I read it, then asks what different things mean.) We had many conversations, and came back to the book again and again. Each time, we looked at and discussed one or two of DaVinci's works. T was eager each time, but I think the language and my explanations demanded more of him than he was used to.
T and I were both interested to learn about the debates about the attribution of The Annunciation and how it was finally, more or less, resolved. We both tried our hand at backwards writing, at T's behest and to his disappointment. For someone who is still working on the linear aspect of writing, going a particular direction was not as exciting as he thought it would be. We also both enjoyed looking at the layers of images up close, touching them, and engaging a bit more physically than at the museum. I think that this was really the highlight for T. We both learned about DaVinci (some things rang a distant bell, like the backward writing), but the exciting part was to have multi-layered images that T could manipulate. We have other art books that we enjoy, but this was a different type of engagement. I think it was the perfect length for us; dissecting one or two works per sitting was just right. At this rate, we cover the whole book in a couple of days.
I strongly recommend Leonardo Pop-Ups to art lovers, pop-up enthusiasts, or those who want to learn about DaVinci.
Son's Review (T)
(Age: 4 years old)
T's favorite aspect of Leonardo Pop-Ups is that "They pop UPPPP!!!" He thinks that the horse sculpture and flying machine are "cool," and he likes hearing about the argument over who painted The Annunciation, saying, "I never knew that!" He would also like to fly in the ornithopter and seems to regard me as silly for not being certain about flying in it myself. I suppose it's a non-issue, however, as none of DaVinci's contraptions flew.
On The Annunciation:
"I like how the angel looks. I also like touching the stuff. I want to know how they x-rayed his paintings."
On inventions:
"I would design a fort. [Out of] wood, and V, one day, can we build a fort out of wood? And it's going to be in a tree, and I'm gonna climb up a ladder made of string, and you're gonna hold it steady"
(Did you catch that he's now calling me by my first name, instead of Mommy? Also, DaVinci designed a lot of forts.)
On what he would say to DaVinci:
"Wow! You could build a house for Pooh. A fort. I mean his house would be a fort!"
(Worlds collide!)
December 22, 2022
Got this at BBW. I love the pop ups! They're intricate. Especially the one with the vitruvian man.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews