Manchester Art Gallery Visit - 'Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing'

Today I went to see the Manchester exhibition 'Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing'. The exhibition is marking 500 years since the death of Leonardo da Vinci and there are twelve simultaneous exhibitions occurring across the UK showing some of his most influential drawings. I found this experience breath taking as it my first time to see real Da Vinci work with my own eyes. Looking at something through a computer screen and looking at the same thing in real life, can really change your perspective of it and I found it strange to think that I was stood cm's away from drawings that Leonardo da Vinci had drawn himself.

Here are some examples of his work:

I really like the style of Da Vinci's writing and it was particularly interesting to learn that he wrote his sentences 'from right to left, with every letter reversed' because he was left handed and found it easier to 'pull the pen across the paper rather than against the paper'. In order to read his notes, you have to use a mirror.

Here Leonardo da Vinci drew 'Studies of Men in Action', the actual size of these drawings shocked me as they are alot smaller than I had originally expected and yet he managed to maintain beautiful detail in these small observational drawings.

Its great how these drawings show that he was much more than just an artist, Da Vinci was a skilled scientist, looking at the anatomy of the shoulder which is shown above.

Overall I had an amazing experience which will remain with me forever. Leonardo da Vinci is truly inspiring and his work will no doubt continue to inspire many others in the years to come.