Leonardo as creator, scientist
The exhibition «Leonardo da Vinci – Inventor and Scientist» opened two days ago at the exhibition hall of the former Ladopoulos Paper Mills in Patras, while the official opening has been scheduled to take place on Saturday, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Culture Petros Tatoulis. With the «Opening Days,» which started yesterday and will run to January 25, the city of Patras officially becomes European Cultural Capital for 2006. The exhibition, which features about 150 drawings and models of Leonardo’s inventions, adds shape and movement to the artist’s creations and also brings out his multifaceted personality as an artist, inventor and scientist. What is particularly interesting is the method of reproduction of Leonardo’s notes, drawings and studies, the only method which maintains the precise image of the originals and their high artistic value. The pages from Leonardo’s notebooks were reproduced in the size of the originals, through different phases, in a procedure which transfers on to special handmade paper only the drawings’ outline and framework. The exhibition is divided into three categories (drawings, originals, audiovisual material) showcasing Leonardo’s image as an inventor and a scientist. The show is further accompanied by 12 touch-screens presenting audiovisual programs on all the categories of Leonardo’s inventions. A film about Leonardo’s life and work, an exciting insight into his universal thought, is also screened as part of the exhibition. The exhibition that Patras chose to mark the opening of Europe’s top cultural institution drew one million visitors in New York and in Geneva. Its aim, according to curator Dr Otto Letze, is to present Leonardo da Vinci’s visionary thinking and multifaceted talent in the most complete scientific way, so that visitors can comprehend why the artist has been described as a «universal genius» and, at the same time, a model of Homo universalis. Gary Bardon In the meantime, rehearsals are already under way for the upcoming concert of internationally acclaimed vibraphone player Gary Bardon, who will join forces with the Patras Orchestra under the baton of distinguished maestro Alexandre Myrat. The concert – which will feature Nyman’s Piano for Strings, Thanos Mikroutsikos’s Music Stories for vibe, string orchestra, percussion and clarinet, as well as Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite after Bizet – will take place next Friday.
