In Da Vinci Mode

 The Exhibition: Leonardo Da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius

Where: The Lume, South Wharf, Melbourne

Until 8 December

A change of plans left me at loose end last night, and on a whim, I took myself off to see the Da Vinci exhibition at The Lume, wanting to get to this before it left Melbourne. I've been doing a lot of that lately. 

It was a change of plans I enjoyed a lot. 

The Lume is something best enjoyed out of season. What I mean by that is it is at its best when the auditorium is emptier, and you don't have to wade through the crowds. There will always be little kids running around doing cartwheels, but you don't notice them as much when there's a lot of room to move. 

I'd lucked out on a number of levels. Entering the DFO car park I saw the extortionate prices and took note that I needed to be back and out of the centre in two hours. There was no way I was going to pay $54 for three hours parking. 

Thankfully, Lume ticket holders are entitled to $12 all-day parking, with a special parking ticket you get at the door. Win number one.

Big win number two. The place was nearly empty. 

The Lume is at its best when it's quiet. The Da Vinci exhibition has been playing for a few months now, and 6.30 on a Saturday night is not prime viewing time. 

Regardless, I loved every second of this exhibition. 

For anybody who hasn't been to a Lume exhibition, the well-known paintings are projected onto the walls of the auditorium, normally with some context and a soundtrack of instrumental and classical music to set it off. If you're lucky, you can find one of the lie down bean backs to rest back on while watching the show in front of you. It's fantastic. 

So far, I've seen Lume productions that look at the works of Van Gogh, Alphonse Mucha (In Paris) and a very good Aboriginal art display. 

This exhibit was as good as the others, although it could probably be called Da Vinci and Friends, especially as the last 15 minutes displayed paintings by Da Vinci's contemporaries, including Caravaggio, Bellini, Raphael, Michelangelo and Botticelli. 

The other wonderful thing about this exhibit is that it looks at his inventions, such as the helicopter, the parachute and the bicycle, among others. It's fascinating to see and learn more about this incredible person. 

There is also a while room dedicated to the Mona Lisa, probably his most famous painting. Fun fact. Did you realise that the Mona Lisa has no eyelashes nor eyebrows. It's also unfinished in a number of ways. It was fascinating. 

For me, this was a great way to spend two hours contemplating this incredible man. To be able to sit back in this cool, quiet space and have my senses massaged by the light was well needed. 

Ans sure, this is art for the masses, but as we live the other side of the world to Europe, we Australians have to take our culture where we can get it. I love that by illuminating the works, you get to see every crack, crevise and line. It's marvelous. 

This is definitely worth a look. 

This series ends on December 8.

Today's song: