Publisher's Synopsis
This study explores the work of Leonardo da Vinci with the aim of developing a concept of creative production, It argues that the conditions of a truly creative practice require an imaginative re-working of the real so that new and unforeseen realities can emerge. Studying Leonardo's notebooks and sketches, where a cross-pollination of theory and practice abounds, it shows that creativity is critical power that operates in between the real and ideal, confounding the clear-cut distinction between them. This understanding of power in terms of an enabling and productive capacity is taken from Deleuze and Nietzsche's work in this area. Leonardo, although he was interested in mimesis and the principles of one point perspective, actively brought the real and ideal into relations with one another in innovative ways. Although it focuses on the work of one Renaissance artist, the conclusions are not historically restricted.
