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SINGAPORE: Fancy a bit of Dr Langdon-style investigation into the mysteries behind Mona Lisa’s smile? Or perhaps you would like to take on Dan Brown and try your hand in unraveling the brainteasers behind the Vitruvian Man?
Well, now’s the chance.
Head to the “Da Vinci – The Genius” exhibition at the Science Centre from now till August 16.
On display are reproductions of the works of Leonardo Da Vinci that reveal a man of many talents, from inventor, artist, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, musician and architect.
For the man who once understatedly wrote “I have offended God and mankind because my work didn’t reach the quality it should have”, his creations are in fact marvels.
At the exhibition, visitors can get close up and personal with 188 exhibits, of which over 70 breathtaking full-scale machine inventions are crafted from the personal codices of the brain himself.
In his codices, whereby only 6,000 remain out of the minimum 24,000 pages believed to have been originally written, the multi-talented man wrote and drew about geometry, engineering, fauna and flora, mathematics, physics and philosophy.
Many innovative designs were never actually built while Da Vinci was alive as they were ahead of his time.
Now, through a cadre of Italian artisans, the inventions have been meticulously brought to life using techniques and materials of 15th century Italy whenever possible.
Also among the displays are reproductions of Da Vinci’s most famous Renaissance art, including the Virgin of the Rocks, The Annunciation and of course, the famous Mona Lisa, complete with that hint of a smile.
Just why she seems to hide a smile becomes quite clear at another exhibition held concurrently that reveals the mystifying lady’s secrets.
“Secrets of Mona Lisa Revealed” is a display of works by French engineer Pascal Cotte.
Through Cotte’s invention - a cutting edge 240-megapixel multi-spectral imaging camera - 25 conundrums were discovered and Mona Lisa’s true colours are astonishingly revealed.
With the special camera that uses infrared technology and illumination, visitors will be able to see beneath the layers of varnish, restoration works and repainting applied over the centuries.
The result -- super size 14ft x 10ft giant infra-red print versions of the enigmatic Mona Lisa that peer imposingly over every passing visitor.
The scrutiny was aroused by the seemingly lack of eyebrows above Mona Lisa’s alluring eyes that puzzled Cotte while he was in Cracovia, Poland, working on another canvas.
Cotte said in an interview with Channel NewsAsia: “I digitised the famous painting by Leonardo - the Lady with an Ermine - and I discovered Leonardo had painted beautiful eyebrows… and I said you had beautiful eyebrows on all the paintings but not on the Mona Lisa… this is impossible… there is something wrong…
“So I concentrated my research to prove that there are eyebrows and (to find out) why they have disappeared.”
With the help of the camera, Cotte found one particular close-up image that showed a brush stroke in the left eyebrow region, hinting of a brow.
So visit the exhibition and squint to find that illusive strand of hair.
Like many over the centuries, you’ll probably be captivated by the Mona Lisa even if the one in Singapore is a reproduction of the small painting that stands in the Lourve.
According to Chew Tuan Chiong, chief executive of the Singapore Science Centre, the reason why the Mona Lisa seems breathtakingly real is because Da Vinci used his scientific knowledge in painting the subject.
With a strong awareness of optics and how the human eye perceives images, Da Vinci experimented not just with different paints but also optical, which gave Mona Lisa a strong impression of life.
A close look of the Mona Lisa will also reveal a blotch on the corner of her eye.
Some experts say it was Da Vinci’s effort to capture life realistically and indicate that Mona Lisa was suffering from high cholesterol.
However, Cotte has a simpler reason - it was a varnish accident.
There’s also the lace on Mona Lisa’s dress and 22 others to puzzle over at the exhibition which also features anatomical sketches, preparatory drawings and amazing three-dimensional interactive presentations of another famous painting - The Last Supper.
Appreciate the painting as Da Vinci wanted it to be seen, and if you’re into the whole Dan Brown controversy, decide for yourself if Mary Magdalene was indeed in that work of art.
“Da Vinci – The Genius” which took 10 years to complete, is believed to be the most comprehensive travelling exhibition ever about the man and the one held in Singapore is the Southeast Asia debut.
If you think the genius of Da Vinci might overwhelm you – there is a guided tour every half-an-hour interval so you will end your visit totally clued in to the man and his genius.
- CNA/yt
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