The
Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles concludes its 9th Italian Language Week dedicated to art, science and technology with an unusual exhibition devoted to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Bill Viola (b. 1951). Making its United States debut December 3-12, 2009 is the Renaissance master's
Angel in the Flesh (ca. 1513-15), a black chalk on blue paper drawing formerly in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. Displayed with it is Viola's
The Last Angel (2002), a slow-motion video of a beatific figure in water.
Also on view is Leonardo's
Theatre Sheet (ca. 1506-08) from the
Codex Atlanticus, its two fragments excised in the late 16th Century and now reunited. The folio was last seen stateside in
Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius (April 14-September 4, 2006) at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. The page's studies for a production of
Orpheus by Angelo Poliziano (1454-1494) demonstrate the genius' interest in the theatrical arts, set design and music.
Carlo Pedretti and Bill Viola
At a private celebration on December 2, 2009 at 6:30 P.M., Carlo Pedretti, Professor Emeritus at the University of California-Los Angeles and dean of Leonardo scholars, will present his 50th book, the bilingual
Leonardo da Vinci: The "Angel in the Flesh" & Salai (Florence: Cartei & Publishers, 2009). Pedretti and Bill Viola will discuss the relationship between Leonardo and Jacopo da Pontormo (1494-1557), his apprentice. The evening includes the screening of Viola's
The Greeting (1995), a 10-minute interpretation of Pontormo's
The Visitation (1514-16), and
Leonardo's Deluge (1989), a 14-minute video produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Trust that explores the significance of 11 drawings in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.
On the same night, Pedretti and Viola will receive the Italian Cultural Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award for their various activities and dedication to art.