The Vetruvian Plan

The Leonardo da Vinci exhibition starts at the beginning of November, which I was extremely excited to hear. It actually made me realise that I don’t know that much about da Vinci. I went to Paris at the beginning of September, and embarked upon my obligatory (yet enjoyable) trip to the Louvre, and saw, as I guessed, that there was a massive hoard of people around the Mona Lisa. Surprise surprise, snapping away, to prove that _they_ had seen one of the most famous paintings in the world, or at least to say they had seen one of the most famous paintings in film. I am not discrediting The da Vinci code however it seems to have made this painting even more attractive than it already was. Painting was only a small notch on da Vinci’s bedpost but yet it’s some of these works that have pushed him into the artist’s corner. The collection going on display is a variety of his paintings, one of the rarest, they claim, for the world to see.

Although the Mona Lisa is not in the exhibition, it is still good to mention, as it is without a doubt his most famous artwork. One of the Mona Lisa’s attributes that makes it so famous, apart from being in The da Vinci Code , is the mysterious facial expression that so many are curious about. But alas, it’s not actually as mysterious as many would like it to be. Leonardo used a technique called sfumato, where he blurred around the edges of the Mona Lisa to give different perspectives. This created the effect that made it seem like she is smiling when you look into her eyes, while if you look at her mouth she is not. Which is a little anti-climactic, but there you go! But then, this still begs the question, did Leonardo want to leave such an ambiguous angle for the viewer? This is, after all what created such interest in the painting in the first place.
Back to this actual exhibition, one of the greatest things about it is that finally, both versions of The Virgin of the Rocks will be able to be viewed together. One of them is a permanent picture at the National Gallery, and the other is from Paris in the Louvre. This will give the viewers and art scholars alike the opportunity compare and contrast is quite an intense setting. Although they are very similar, there are differences which show the evolution of the paintings, from Leonardo original Louvre version to the one in London. In the Louvre copy, they are distinctly without halos, and there is a problem in distinguishing which of the infants is Christ. In the Louvre version because of the angels pointing, it could be the child next to Mary. However, in the London version, the child is given a long cross, held in a military fashion which is used frequently as St Johns iconography. Jesus is also seen as blessing St John. In Leonardo’s native Florence, mystical scenes of John the Baptist were very common, as he is the patron saint, along with the Madonna. The sense of mystery is portrayed in many of da Vinci’s works; here you can see it in the dark sheltered hollow where they are located. The image of rocks could refer to Jesus and John’s safe habitation in rocks on their travels in later life, and the use of dramatic lighting conveys the eternal nature of this scene.

My favourite by da Vinci is The lady with the Ermine. There is, similar to the Mona Lisa, a debate about her identity. The idea that she is “Cecelia Gallerani, mistress of the later Duke of Milan” is debated and doubted by many scholars. There is an air of mystery of the woman’s life. The use of the dark background accentuates her powerful presence, taking up majority of the picture. It may however seem that this is a repaint where the original da Vinci would have seen her in a background that was more in style and calamity, of a blue-grey wash. Da Vinci shows great skill, with the textured detailed fur of the ermine, being laid differently against the gentle flesh tones of the lady’s chest behind it. You can see the fluidity of movement echoed in the ermine, along with the gaze to the so-called intruder who is not known. This has caught the attention of both of the participants. In this painting, the ermine seems to be on guard, watching his mistress who has a firm, yet loving hand on him.

This is only a very brief look at da Vinci and what is going to be in the exhibition and I would definitely recommend all to see it. When I go and visit this exhibition, I plan to go in with an open mind, and will try and appreciate the paintings visually, while also applying what I have knowledge of, but that is just me, everyone is welcome to view it in their own way.
The Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan exhibition runs from 9 November 2011 – 5 February 2012. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan

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