Hi everyone! Last week I was invited to check out the amazing new Da Vinci - The Genius exhibit at the Discovery Science Center!
There is are wonderful facsimiles of a fascinating collection of codices handwritten by Da Vinci himself.
There are hundreds of reproductions of some of the most famous Da Vinci machine inventions. Most are hands off to read and admire while others are hands on for you to try out for yourself.
Here is Da Vinci's version of what would become the helicopter.
I love this section on the flying machines.
This is one that I was really fascinated with. Da Vinci's idea for the elevator.
There are 75 life-size machine inventions on display here.
Da Vinci's take on the cannon.
No Da Vinci did not come up with the UFO. This is his invention that became the modern military tank.
This is the highlight of the exhibit. An extensive look at arguably the most famous painting in the world. The research was conducted by famed French engineer Pascal Cotte. He was given special permission from the Louvre to remove the Mona Lisa from her protective layer of bulletproof glass and scanned it with a 240-megapixel Multi-spectral Imaging Camera he invented. This gave the world an unprecidented look into the Mona Lisa.
One of the images shown here is this massive enlargement of the painting. Some of the revelations revealed include:
- Lace on Mona Lisa's dress
- The transparency of the veil shows da Vinci first painted a
landscape and then used transparency techniques to paint the veil atop
it.
- A change in the position of the left index and middle finger.
- The elbow was repaired from damage due to a rock thrown at the painting in 1956.
- The blanket covering Mona Lisa's knees also covers her stomach.
- The left finger was not completely finished.
- A blotch mark on the corner of the eye and chin are varnish accidents, countering claims that Mona Lisa was sick.
- And the Mona Lisa was painted on uncut poplar board, contrary to speculations.
This is the most accurate reproduction of the Mona Lisa ever created.
The back of the painting is almost as interesting as the front. But you need to come to the exhibit to read those details.
These enlargements reveal the beauty of the painting as well as the damage that has incurred throughout the years.
It is so amazing to look at a masterpiece in such detail and clarity.
Look at the detail of the landscape behind the Mona Lisa.
The camera uses 13 wavelengths from ultraviolet light to infrared to literally
peel away centuries of varnish and other alterations. The results are amazing.
This section on the Mona Lisa is more than worth the price of admission to the exhibit.
There is also a Da Vinci Jr. area where you can build a model city. As you can see I was hard at work or very confused.
We are making progress! After all Rome was not built in a day!
My finished Sasaki Time temple!
This is another fine exhibit here on display at the Discovery Science Center! The blogger event unfortunately did not give me enough time to read and see everything in this exhibit! I will definitely come back to read everything and take more photos. Like I mentioned earlier, the Mona Lisa exhibit is more than worth the price of admission. As my friend Carla, who has been to the Louvre, said to me, "You cannot get this close to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre." An excellent exhibit and I hope you take the time to check it out.
Da Vinci - The Genius is at the Discovery Science Center until September 8, 2013.
Discovery Science Center
To learn more:
http://www.discoverycube.org/exhibits/event/da-vinci-the-genius/
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