Ken Burns’ latest documentary: ‘Leonardo da Vinci’

Ken Burns’ latest documentary is his first one exploring a non-American subject, telling the story of the life, achievements and influence of Leonardo da Vinci.
According to NPR, The documentary which, premieres Nov. 18 and 19, covers the achievements, discoveries, designs and works of da Vinci but also dives into who he was as a person.
The two-part miniseries titled “Leonardo da Vinci” is co-directed by Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon.
According to Forbes, the documentary, “looks at how the artist influenced and inspired future generations, and it finds in his soaring imagination and profound intellect the foundation for a conversation we are still having today: what is our relationship with nature and what does it mean to be human.”
The documentary draws from DaVinci’s personal notebook, primary and second accounts of his life as well as interviews with modern-day scholars, artists, inventors, admirers and engineers in order to tell the story of his life.
It also features a filmmaking style unique from Ken Burns’ other films “including split screens with images, video and sound from different periods, to further contextualize Leonardo’s art and scientific explorations,” according to Forbes.
The film features original music from musician and composer Caroline Shaw, which is performed by Attacca Quartet, Sō Percussion and Roomful of Teeth.
Co-director Sarah Burns said when they chose da Vinci as their subject they didn’t know much about him, they were faced with a steep learning curve when making the film and in order to learn more about da Vinci she spent time living in Florence, according to USA Today.
Burns said to USA Today, “His curiosity makes this the ultimate subject: his range of knowledge and profound understanding of the human project in relation to the universe. It doesn’t get bigger than that.”
The first part of the two-part documentary is titled “The Disciple of Experience” and part two is “Painter-God.”
Part one follows da Vinci as he grows up in Tuscany and then his move to Florence as an artist’s apprentice. Later he moves to Milan to be apart of Duke Sforza’s court, according to PBS.
In part two, da Vinci is working as a military engineer, designing flying machines, studying light and shadow, investigating gravity and dissecting cadavers. He pours his lifetime of artistic and scientific knowledge into the “Mona Lisa.”
Sarah Burns said it was interesting to learn about personality and the documentary tries to really show who he was.
“With him, it’s easy to imagine a tortured solitary artist. He was not that. People loved being around him, he loved to sing and play music, he dressed flamboyantly. We’re trying to create a portrait of a real person, a complicated three-dimensional person. Not a mythical wizard who prophesied these great inventions, but a guy who had friends and relationships,” Sarah Burns said to USA Today.
Part one of the series is airing on Nov. 18 at 7 and 9 p.m. MST on PBS. Part two will air on Nov. 19 at the same time.