• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, November 18, 2024

Like presumably others, I have not read the many biographies of Leonardo da Vinci mainly because I have never gotten around to them.

But now, a four-part, PBS documentary on the life of the great Renaissance art star makes for a worthy substitute. 

This documentary -- titled simply “Leonardo da Vinci” -- applies visual tools and techniques unique to film, but not to print, to plumb the very essence of the artist’s work.

The documentary is directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon. The Burns brand, familiar to millions, is on full display.

Among the characteristics of Burns documentaries are their pacing, their negligible (if any) reliance on re-creations, their visual quality and their storytelling.

On the topic of historical re-creations, they are typical of cheaper, garden-variety documentaries made for television. 

I’m no expert on how often Ken Burns has used them (if ever). But the way they are applied in “Leonardo da Vinci” is integral to the doc’s storytelling. 

They are not the type of time-filling, money-saving re-creations we have come to expect in the aforementioned lesser documentaries.

Instead, Burns’ re-creations are a crucial aid in understanding da Vinci. They work seamlessly alongside narration by the great Keith David and the testimony of experts seen in the doc -- mainly art historians and some of da Vinci’s many biographers.

In the re-creations, we see only a hand with a brush or a writing implement such as a pencil or pen (if this is what such things were called then).

With these close-ups, we get to really see the techniques applied by da Vinci. Juxtaposed alongside his famous drawings and sketches, we understand why da Vinci is remembered as one of the most intellectually gifted individuals in human history.

This documentary provides ample evidence to support that assertion without resorting to hyperbole. In this documentary, the facts speak for themselves.

As for the famous pacing of the Burns documentaries, some might quibble that some of his documentaries ran a bit long for their taste.

For example, “Baseball” was 18.5 plus hours. “Jazz” was 19. One thing you can say about Ken Burns -- he is nothing if not thorough.

That is also one of the joys of “Leonardo da Vinci.” The documentary gives as complete an understanding of the man, his life and his work as one is likely to get anywhere.

The documentary tells its story without ever dumbing down the subject matter. And yet, it is intellectually accessible to all.

I scanned a list of Burns’ documentaries over the years and if I am not mistaken, this is Burns’ first on an overseas subject. Next year, he returns to American history with “The American Revolution.”

“Leonardo Da Vinci” airs Monday and Tuesday, November 18 and 19, at 8-10 p.m. Eastern on PBS.