NYC Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit Follows Artist's Entire Career

Broadcast: Jan 22 2003

 

The most comprehensive collection of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci ever assembled in the United States, is on exhibit at the ¹⁾Metropolitan¹ Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition is taken from major collections from around the world, and features many pieces not seen in public since the 1930s.

Even for seasoned art historian and ²⁾curator Carmen Bambach, who put together the exhibition of nearly 120 drawings, seeing so many works by Leonardo da Vinci in one place is a moving experience. "It is possibly the most emotional time in my entire life, that I am likely to have. To think about these works you will see on the walls, or that you have already seen on the walls, that normally live in dark, black boxes. To see them all together here, so many of them, is a very, very emotional thing," she said.

Leonardo da Vinci - Master Draftsman follows da Vinci's entire career, from his artistic^{2 3)}apprenticeship in Florence, Italy in the 1470s, to his highly productive years as a scientist and an inventor in Milan, through to his return to Florence in the beginning of the 16th century, and death in France in 1519.

Ms. Bambach said the drawings in the exhibition provide a rare opportunity to confront the diverse talents that made Leonardo da Vinci, artist, scientist, engineer, theorist, teacher, the original "Renaissance³ Man."

"He very much believed in ⁴⁾revealing, and in the process of revealing, rationalizing. At the same time, he was deeply and humbly⁴ aware of the mysteries of the world, the mysteries of human life. He talks a great deal about that. The mysteries of life, the great depths of human emotion as a kind of shaper of physical gesture. That is why his figures are so deeply convincing."

Although Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps best known for paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, very few paintings by the master exist today - 15 at most, whereas there are 4,000 pages of his drawings and notes in various collections throughout the world.

The one painting in the exhibition, the unfinished St. Jerome Praying in the Wilderness⁵, has the imprint⁶ of the artist's fingers in the upper left corner. Metropolitan Museum Director Philipe de Montebello says tiny details like this are what make the Master Draftsman exhibition so compelling.

"You get that magical sense that you are looking over the shoulder of the artist as he draws and creates. It brings you in touch with one of the greatest personalities⁷ in the world on such a close basis that it is deeply moving," Mr. de Montebello said.

The exhibition includes studies for Leonardo's most famous paintings, Virgin⁸ and Child with St. Anne, The Last Supper, Adoration⁹ of the Magi, as well as a recently discovered, two-sided sketch¹⁰ of a Hercules statue, possibly meant to compete with Michaelangelo's David.

Interwoven in the exhibition are the results of copious¹¹ new research into such subjects as Leonardo da Vinci's patrons, his teachers, and the work of his pupils.

Mr. Montebello said the new research helped convince some reluctant lenders to temporarily part with their da Vinci treasures. "There is no question that it took a lot of ⁵⁾reassuring and cajoling, in terms of security and insurance and the like, but I think ultimately what prevailed was the seriousness of the project. The new research, the scholarship, the fact that the exhibition will make not only a contribution to the general public, but a contribution to knowledge," he said.

Some art experts have questioned the wisdom of transporting and showing such valuable work because of its ⁶⁾fragility. The old work is particularly sensitive to light and temperature. But Francoise Viatte, chief curator of drawings at the Musee de Louvre in Paris, says it is a risk worth taking.

"If we never attempt this kind of thing, very few people will see the works of art in the world. I think part of the job of the museum is to make exhibitions between them in partnerships¹². Especially for drawings. Because Drawings are difficult to see in a museum. Drawings are a special section in a museum. You have to make a special request and get authorization¹³ to see them. So it is very important to make a big exhibition like Leonardo," Ms. Viatte said.

Twenty-nine of the drawings in the exhibition come from the Louvre. Other major contributions come from museums and private collections in the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Austria, and the United States. The Royal Library of Windsor Castle in England lent 31 drawings.

The exhibition will travel to the Louvre later this year.

For VOA, I'm James Donahower in New York.

1)    Metropolitan Museum  首都博物馆

2)    curator [kjuE5reitE]n.馆长, 监护人

3)    apprenticeship[E5prentis7Fip]n. 学徒的身份, 学徒的年限

4)    revealing[rI`vi:lIN]adj. 有启迪作用的

5)    reassuring[9ri:E`FJErIN]adj. 安心的, 可靠的

6)    fragility[frE5dViliti]n. 脆弱, 虚弱

 

1 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

2 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 humbly   

adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地

参考例句：

• We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。
• "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的，先生，”约翰恭顺地说道。

5 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 imprint   

n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记

参考例句：

• That dictionary is published under the Longman imprint.那本词典以朗曼公司的名义出版。
• Her speech left its imprint on me.她的演讲给我留下了深刻印象。

7 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

8 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

9 adoration   

n.爱慕，崇拜

参考例句：

• He gazed at her with pure adoration.他一往情深地注视着她。
• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。

10 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

11 copious   

adj.丰富的，大量的

参考例句：

• She supports her theory with copious evidences.她以大量的例证来充实自己的理论。
• Every star is a copious source of neutrinos.每颗恒星都是丰富的中微子源。

12 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

13 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。