Rare exhibition looks into the mind of Leonardo da Vinci
By Cindy Beckman


The Legion of Honor has the distinction of hosting a rare group of drawings by a Renaissance master. “Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale” in Turin features 11 drawings, dating from about 1480 to 1510, which are traveling outside of Italy for the first time.

Leonardo’s Codex on the Flight of Birds is also a part of the exhibit. This celebrated notebook is filled with his observations on the movement of birds and his then-revolutionary ideas for reproducing flight mechanically.

There are no finished masterpieces in this intimate display, just pages from the artist’s own sketchbooks that reveal amazing detail and talent in even the simplest of his working studies.

The pages also illustrate Leonardo’s penchant for using mirror-image handwriting in his sketchbooks. While it may look like ancient code, he was left-handed in the era of ink and quill and found it easier to write from right to left to avoid smearing his lettering.
Curator James Ganz notes that these drawings are the best way to get to know the artist, as Leonardo only finished 15 to 20 paintings in his lifetime.

“Think of it more like being in Leonardo’s brain,” said Ganz.

This is the Biblioteca Reale’s most valuable holding, which has two additional drawings not included in this exhibit. Due to their significance to the institution and the fragile nature of 500-year-old paper, the documents are monitored digitally for temperature and humidity fluctuations within the sealed frames, with the data sent back to Turin daily. One
can only image Leonardo’s appreciation for this melding of technology and art.
An exhibition catalog ($30 for hardcover) is available for a more thorough description of the individual pieces and their relation to Leonardo’s lifetime of artistic invention.

Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin: Palace of Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park (34th Avenue and Clement); Tue.–Sun., through Jan. 4, 2009; tickets $16–$20, members and children 12 and under free; 415-750-3600, www.legionofhonor.org.