ArtsNational will be welcoming UK arts historian Alice Foster when she will be presenting her arts talk ‘De-Coding da Vinci’ in the Narrabri RSL Club auditorium on Monday, May 26.
Leonardo da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) died more than 500 years ago, yet his work remains enigmatic, potent and mystifying.
A gifted engineer, inventor and scientist, painting fell at the end of his line of work, yet ironically it is this for which he is remembered best.
Many works are unfinished; his Last Supper was the target of jokes and vandalism by French forces in Milan, yet he was among the first to celebrate human imperfection in his caricatures.
And just what is the draw of his Mona Lisa?
Leonardo da Vinci was ahead of his time, conducting dozens of carefully thought-out experiments and creating futuristic inventions.
His keen eye and quick mind led him to make important scientific discoveries, yet he never published his ideas.
He was indeed, one of the most brilliant and versatile minds of all time, a master of painting, sculpture, architecture, engineering, and science.
His IQ is estimated to have been between 180 and 220, which would have placed him among the most intelligent people in history.
He painted ‘The Last Supper’ because he was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, to create a painting for the refectory (dining hall) of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
The scene was chosen to be a fitting subject for the monks dining hall, representing the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles.
The painting depicts the apostles’ shocked reactions to Jesus’ announcement that one of them would betray him.
Guest speaker Alice Foster has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998.
Alice Foster has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998 and lectures regularly at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock, UK.
Her busy freelance career includes organising History of Art study days with colleagues, and regular weekly classes in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire.
In 2004 Alice joined The Arts Society and has lectured in Britain and in Europe.
ArtsNational arts talks last for approximately one hour, followed by complimentary drinks and canapés with an opportunity to chat with our guest speaker.
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