Le favole di Leonardo da Vinci

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, the Loggiato San Bartolomeo hosts Le Favole di Leonardo da Vinci by the Palermo-born artist Beppe Madaudo.

The Favole are metaphors, riddles, addressed by Leonardo to humankind, which, in an anthropocentric vision, imposes itself upon nature, irreversibly altering its state and harmony. Today, as nature’s revolt is underway, these fables are above all warnings and, five hundred years after their author’s death, they prove bitterly prophetic: we are like the butterfly that will burn its wings while playing with fire.

The exhibition, which anticipates the publication of the book L’inchiostro e la carta – Graphic Reflections on Leonardo’s Fables by Beppe Madaudo, published by Armando Editore, consists of 59 plates, including illustrations and texts, with an introduction by Santo Versace, conceived as a reflection on Leonardo’s fables. Also on display are 13 personal reinterpretations of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, created by the artist specifically for the exhibition.

“I have imagined, written, and illustrated many books in my life, but in this one I wanted to condense, as in a collage, my various formal and stylistic experiences, bringing them all together for once, not only ideally. I have given ink and colour to Leonardo’s ‘voice’ through images as swift as lightning and which, I hope, may arrive with the sound of thunder.”
— Beppe Madaudo