Leonardo da Vinci in Milan - Art and Science Museum

Milano - Via Quintino Sella 4, Piazza Castello

Introduction

The culture of our time has resigned itself to the dominion of images and emotions and cultural tourism produces museum “consumers” accustomed to learning by seeing and experiencing.
With the commendable aim of acquainting visitors of every age with the extraordinary genius of Leonardo da Vinci, a number of museums in France, Italy, Spain and Argentina as well, probably, as other nations, are mounting didactic exhibitions focusing on life-sized models of war machines, flying machines and plans for cities of the future, constructed on the basis of the Master’s sketches, sometimes creating authentic cultural amusement parks.
But in addition to the models, there are also other major studies by Leonardo, above all on the figurative arts, which have never been presented to the public up to now, on account of the difficulty involved. The most important of these is the “Treatise on Painting”, the collection of thousands of sheets on which he jotted down notes and thoughts, often illustrated by sketches, capable of having a greater impact on art than his paintings or mechanical studies themselves. Addressing itself to a public eager to know more about the genius of Leonardo, the Art and Science Museum of Milan has set up the first and only exhibition open to visitors on the “Treatise on Painting”: clear and straightforward explanations, and a profusion of objects, practical examples and interactive stations in two large rooms.

What is more, another exhibition in three further rooms documents the twenty intense years spent by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, during which he gave a convincing demonstration of his universal genius.

The outstanding importance
of Leonardo for human art

Great painters such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo were unique and there is therefore no point in trying to compare them in order to establish which was the greatest. All gifted painters endeavour to attain a perfect pictorial representation of their ideas, but are limited by the heaviness of their manual skills and by the materials used. Leonardo da Vinci, and he alone, surpassed all other painters from this point of view. Throughout his life he jotted down his ideas and his advices, how to be a good painter, in notes and drawings on sheets of paper, subsequently collected in the “Treatise of Painting”.

His teaching is unambiguous and clear: the painter must observe nature and its phenomena using scientific methods and considerations, and copy nature, because its beauty is incomparable, infinite and exquisite. This has also been the teaching of all artists from the dawn of human culture to the 19th century, except that this precept had never been set down so clearly.

Considering the current concepts of art, today a book on a subject like the “Treatise” would be unthinkable, for which reason Leonardo will always be the painter and theorist of classical art par excellence. His thoughts applied to modern art are illustrated in room 12 of this exhibition. It is significant that he considered the works of nature superior to those of man, whilst contemporary art places great value on the artist’s creativity and works.

In 1483 Leonardo presented himself to the Duke of Milan, offering his services as an expert in military and industrial machines, engineer of navigable canals, painter, architect, sculptor and master of revels. This promise obliged him, during his twenty years at court, to undertake intense activity and exploit all his talent.

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The outstanding importance of Leonardo for human art

The outstanding importance
of Leonardo for human art