Da Vinci's best works on show at Shanghai Museum

A long queue forms at the entrance gate of the Shanghai Museum – the attraction of Leonardo da Vinci has only grown over centuries.

The "Who is Leonardo da Vinci?" exhibition is one of the series of "A Dialogue with the World Exhibition Series of Arts and Cultural Relics" at the museum.

It is the first time the Shanghai Museum has presented an original exhibition of the dialogue between Eastern and Western art, as well as the most vivid representation of Leonardo da Vinci's (1452-1519) original works ever shown in China.

There are 18 works of Renaissance art from the collections of Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta, and Casa Buonarroti, as well as 18 masterpieces of ancient Chinese painting from the Shanghai Museum.

The event has been organized by the Shanghai Museum and the Encyclopedic Institute of Treccani, Italy, and is supported by the consulate general of Italy in Shanghai.

"Leonardo's extraordinary desire to know, understand and create is paradigmatic of the specific features of great civilizations, such as the Italian and Chinese ones," said Massimo Ambrosetti, Italian ambassador to China at the opening ceremony. "On this occasion, both civilizations continue to develop a fruitful cultural dialogue that unites ancient roots to the flourishing of contemporary identities."

Da Vinci's 1490 painting "Scapiliata" is the exhibition's highlight. The painting is only allowed to leave Italy once every five years.

Scapiliata depicts a female figure who looks downward, and like many of Leonardo's portraits, it has an enigmatic quality. The small, wavy strokes outline the hair, making it appear free to move as if agitated by the wind. This technique is described by Martin Kemp, a noted Leonardo scholar, as, "The curling of hair resembles the turbulence of flowing water. The weight of the hair is equivalent to the force of the water current. Hair and water tend to curve circularly."

The painting created toward the end of the 15th century, is both a symbol and an enigma, representing Da Vinci's experimentalism in his quest for new ways to depict the complexities of reality in a two-dimensional space.

The exhibition also features 11 valuable manuscripts by the master, as well as two sketches by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564).

Works of contemporary artists which harmoniously interact with Leonardo's studies of the human figure are also on display, such as "Child with Lamb" by Bernardino Luini (1480-1532).

"Scapiliata" and "Lady with Fan in the Autumn Breeze" by Tang Yin (1470-1523), seem to conduct a silent dialogue between the two artists after centuries.

"Lady with Fan in the Autumn Breeze" and "Watergate Gristmill" (907-960) are considered the "best of the best" from the Shanghai Museum's collection.

The handscroll of "Watergate Gristmill" is evidence of the prosperity of the hydraulic development achieved in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Over 59 people are in the painting, some of whom are involved with carrying and grinding grain, while others indulge in leisure and convivial activities. The masterpiece conjures up a scene bustling with harmony and enjoyment.

Chinese and Western painting went through similar historical periods, particularly around the 15th century. Artists from both countries took divergent paths in their artistic beliefs and methods.

The selection of 18 Chinese paintings reverberates with the Renaissance art through this exhibit, offering the public an opportunity for an imaginative encounter between the art of the two countries.

"A painter must never imitate the manner of another because he will be called the grandson and not the son of nature. Since natural things are available in such great abundance, turn to nature itself rather than to masters who have learned from it," Da Vinci once said, which might be a perfect summary of the Western and Eastern masters of the era.

Exhibit Info

Date: from December 10 to April 14, 2024 (closed on Mondays), 9am-5pm

Address: 201 People's Avenue

Admission: 100 yuan (US$13.92), 80 yuan on museum's WeChat mini-program (上海博物馆)