In the great cloister and former dormitory of the Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, a superb exhibition entitled La Botanica di Leonardo showcases the studies, intuitions and reflections of Leonardo da Vinci (1452 ? 1519) on the forms and structures of the plant world.
Produced with the support of the Aboca laboratory, producer of all-natural and organic food supplements, this exhibition is on show until 15 December 2019.

The tour begins in the large cloister, whose walls are covered with 16th-century frescoes depicting the lives of Dominican saints.

The tour begins in the large cloister, whose walls are covered with 16th-century frescoes depicting the lives of Dominican saints.
Visitors will be taken on a journey through original posters, natural elements and interactive installations, reflecting on scientific development and respect for nature.
Panels explain the art and complex thinking of the Tuscan genius, who always considered man in relation to nature, which he had observed since childhood.

View of the cloister and some polyhedra
View of the cloister and some polyhedra

With Luca Pacioli, a mathematician and Franciscan monk, he studied geometry and drew 60 polyhedra for his manuscript De Divina Proportione, published in Venice in 1509. The work deals mainly with the golden ratio, that divine proportion already known in ancient Egypt, which can be found in nature or in the human body, and which he applied to his paintings.

Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci illustrating the isocahedron. Manuscript of the De divina proportione kept at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.
Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci illustrating the isocahedron. Manuscript of the De divina proportione kept at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

The first polyhedra were developed by Plato, following the Pythagorean tradition, which gave them symbolic significance by linking them to the elemental entities that, according to the Pythagoreans, shaped the universe: fire is associated with the tetrahedron, air with the octahedron, earth with the cube, water with the icosahedron and ether with the dodecahedron, "the sublime synthesis of quintessence".

To protect his writings from prying eyes, Leonardo da Vinci used specular writing, more commonly known as "mirror writing", because he needed a mirror to read his manuscripts.
To protect his writings from prying eyes, Leonardo da Vinci used specular writing, more commonly known as "mirror writing", because he needed a mirror to read his manuscripts.

By exploring the little-known botanical studies of Leonardo da Vinci, we can see the breadth of his scientific thought, so rich in implications. At a time when man?s impact on the environment is deleterious to all living things, this exhibition invites us to rethink our relationship with nature.
Original plates, interfering installations and real plants create an original journey through the inspirations and innovations of systems thinking, capable of combining art and science and observing living things as a single entity where everything is connected and in motion.
Plants selected from those drawn or mentioned by Leonardo in his works have been staged throughout the exhibition, which continues with a spellbinding immersion in trees, leaves and woven compositions, evoking, in a play between the real and the virtual, the Leonardian decoration of the Sala delle Asse, in the Sforza castle in Milan: the largest trompe-l?il ever produced at the time, representing a pergola made up of 18 mulberry trees. The reopening of this restored room is a major event in the Leonardo 500 programme organised by the City of Milan until 12 January 2020.

As far back as the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci established a relationship between the age of a tree, the number of rings observed on a cut trunk, the width of the growth rings and climatic variations.
As far back as the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci established a relationship between the age of a tree, the number of rings observed on a cut trunk, the width of the growth rings and climatic variations.

Of all the artists who left their mark on the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci also stands out for his love of plants. More than a hundred drawings and sketches of plants and flowers appear in the notebooks (or Codex) of this avowed botanist.

Reproductions of the Codex, natural and artificial elements and interactive displays give visitors a spectacular insight into the Florentine Master?s knowledge.
Reproductions of the Codex, natural and artificial elements and interactive displays give visitors a spectacular insight into the Florentine Master?s knowledge.

His work in dendrochronology (from the Greek: dendron = tree; kronos = time; logos = study), phototropism and geotropism has enabled us to understand how nature adapts to its environment. The rules of phyllotaxis and the theory of the constancy of flows within a tree, known as Leonardo?s principle, are transformed here into dynamic installations that provide a global vision of his talents.

Page 197 verso of the Codex Atlanticus which explains how to print a sheet. "This paper must be burnt with candle smoke mixed with soft glue, then subtly coat the white lead sheet with oil, so that the letters are printed, then print in the usual way. And so the sheet remains dark in the empty spaces and light in the reliefs. What happens here is the opposite.
Page 197 verso of the Codex Atlanticus which explains how to print a sheet. "This paper must be burnt with candle smoke mixed with soft glue, then subtly coat the white lead sheet with oil, so that the letters are printed, then print in the usual way. And so the sheet remains dark in the empty spaces and light in the reliefs. What happens here is the opposite.

The exhibition ends with the famous "Vitruvian Man", drawn in 1490 after the treatise by the Italian architect Vitruvius, served up by a spectacular installation of an isocahedron in which visitors can experience the harmony between their body shape and this regular 20-sided solid.

Text: Brigitte Postel
Photos: Brigitte Postel and DR

La Botanica di Leonardo.
Museum of Santa Maria Novella. Florence.
Until 15 December 2019.
https://www.labotanicadileonardo.it/