It’s a portrait of genius.
In 15,000 square feet of paintings, drawings, artifacts, working models of extraordinary inventions, theatrical presentations and interactive displays, the Boston Museum of Science is presenting in its only American venue nothing less than the life and work of perhaps the greatest genius of western civilization: Leonardo da Vinci, the original “Renaissance Man.”
Somehow, 15,000 square feet doesn’t seem sufficient.
Called “Leonardo da Vinci: Scientist, Inventor, Artist,” the show could just as logically have its title reversed. The painter who gave the world the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper would have been proclaimed an immortal on the strength of his canvases alone.
But possessed of a relentless curiosity and a broad and incisive intellect, da Vinci (1452-1519) turned his hand to virtually the entire world around him–land, sea and air.
Though he hated war and called it “a beastly madness,” he was a redoubtable military engineer who designed impregnable forts, a powerful siege machine and ingenious weapons, including prototypes of tanks and steam-driven cannons. He designed submarines, paddle boats, flying machines and helicopters centuries ahead of their time.
The author of monumental plans for huge bridges and elaborate canals, he also invented shoes for walking on water, life preservers, torpedoes and even an underwater breathing apparatus. The hygienic water system he built for Milan helped that city fight off the scourge of the Black Plague.
As a scientist, he pursued anatomy, zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics–making discoveries as far afield as the effect of celestial bodies on tides and the formation of fossils. He was a skilled cartographer and produced one of the first maps in the world to include America.
As an artist, he revolutionized the technique of chiaroscuro–the shadings between light and dark–and was a pioneer in the full development of sfumato, or the use of smoky shading to create dramatic atmospherics in a painting.
Born just outside Florence, Italy, the bastard son of a lowly notary and a peasant girl, he rose to the lofty title of “premier painter and engineer and architect of the king” in the court of Francis I of France. Da Vinci had five sisters on his mother’s side and 12 brothers and sisters on his father’s side. He never married and kept to the company of men.
A strict vegetarian, he was left-handed and wrote backward. Some of his most important drawings and scientific notes were written on grocery lists.
“With a figure like Leonardo,” said museum director David Ellis, “it’s impossible to truly understand the nature of his genius by examining only a single work or a single aspect of his work. We saw in this exhibit a great chance to present the whole man, the whole spectrum of his work, to show the vital interconnections and the science underlying it all.”
The exhibition, which has already played Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, is built around 13 interactive stations and includes an eight-foot model of “Il Cavallo,” the famous da Vinci horse. There are also models of his 1490 design of a helicopter, his paddle boat and a parachute drop. The art includes a self-portrait and a sculpted bust of Christ.
The show closes Sept. 1 and moves on to Singapore. The Museum of Science is in Science Park, between Boston and Cambridge off Storrow Drive (Exit 26 from the Central Artery; 617-589-0200). Tickets are $10, $8 for children 14 and under and seniors, and advanced reservations are strongly recommended.
20th Century art
“Encounters With Modern Art,” featuring more than 100 paintings, drawings and sculptures from the famous Rothschild Collection of 20th Century work, is up through May 11 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 16th Street; 215-763-8100).
This show embraces virtually every major movement of what we call modern art, including Futurism, Cubism and Constructivism. The artists include some of the real giants of the century: Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Juan Gris, Piet Mondrian, Constantin Brancusi and Fernand Leger, among many others. For the untutored, it’s an excellent introduction to several genres.
Picasso’s early years
On March 30, Washington’s National Gallery of Art (4th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.; 202-842-6713) will be opening its long-awaited “Picasso: The Early Years, 1892-1906,” a significant show of the legendary artist’s formative work and one likely to draw crowds from as far away as Timbuktu and Samarkand. The exhibition will be up through July 27 and passes will be required–limit of six to a customer–though admission is free. Passes may be obtained in advance starting Sunday at the museum, or through TicketMaster, 800-551-SEAT, for a $2.75 service fee and $1.25 handling fee. Again, advance reservations are strongly recommended.
Underwater photography
Now open in Washington through May 4, and requiring no passes, is a fascinating double show of underwater photography and exploration at the National Geographic Society (1145 17th St., N.W.; 202-857-7588). It features the work of David Doubilet, starring a colorful variety of stingrays, barracudas, clown fish and their friends, and that of Al Giddings, director/cinematographer of the movie “The Deep,” among others, with an interesting collection of modern underwater diving gear, including a “Jim Suit” (a new space-type diving suit).
Nancy Reagan’s wardrobe
The work of famed Los Angeles fashion designer James Galanos, whose renown was spread with the help of former first lady Nancy Reagan during her reign over the world of fashion in the glamorous 1980s, is the subject of a sumptuous exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art through July 27. Sixty-six costumes and ensembles are being displayed on mannequins, with a rotation of exhibits during a May 4 through 8 intermission in the show. There will also be a number of sketches and other artists’ renderings. LACMA is at 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (213-857-6000). Some of the outfits are on loan from the Chicago Historical Society.
At the Kennedy Center…
Washington’s Kennedy Center is taking enormous strides this month to make itself more accessible to the general public. This includes the millions who simply pass through without stopping to see a performance in what is the only federal memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy.
As of this month, the center has embarked on a “Performing Arts for Everyone” program that will include daily free performances, mostly musical, on its new Millennium Stage in the center’s Grand Foyer. Beginning at 6 p.m. and lasting 45 minutes to an hour, the shows have an African-American theme this month, including lots of jazz and tap. In April, the shows will involve music from the movies.
On a regular but not scheduled basis, the Kennedy Center will also make offerings of “pay what you can” tickets. According to Kennedy Center President Lawrence Wilker, these tickets won’t just be for oddball concerts but big-time musical shows as well. The center is also offering specially priced tickets: a 10 percent discount for full-time students, enlisted military personnel, seniors and people with disabilities.
The center is also opening a new facility for half-price, day-of-performance tickets in downtown Washington at the Old Post Office Pavilion, Pennsylvania Avenue at 12th Street, N.W. For information on all the new programs, call 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324.
