CONVERSATION WITH LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 6

Talking about your drawings of the flood, I wonder you just used your imagination to draw, or you actually experienced it.

Epic of Gilgamesh is a series of myth from the ancient Mesopotamian civilization.  One of the story talks about a battle between humans and a god of woods.  After humans won over the god, they cut woods in the mountain and that caused a great flood.

The same thing is happening on a global basis right now.

Japanese ancestors have left many stone markers warning us “not to build houses below here”.  However, modern people became so conceited with their science and technology that earthquakes and tsunami last year left much destruction behind because of that.

Humans have to be humble in front of the great nature.  Most of the people are not aware that the nature is nurturing us.  They believe they manage their lives only by themselves.  Many stopped learning from the past, and believe that stepping forward is the only development and progress. 

I can see the origin of humans as a natural being in your drawings and sketches you left.  Those are full of messages for the future and energy to live. 

Humans should not forget their origin.

Why do humans exist? Why there are so many races? What is the purpose of lives?

Your works show us answers for those questions.  In this day and age, however, your works and thoughts are away from people, framed and hung in special places.  They are distant, and people do not try learning from them.  I hope you can come down from the high platform and teach us the origins of nature and living beings with easy and plain words.

CONVERSATION WITH LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 5

The thoughts on water had developed within you, and you came to think about a catastrophic flood.

Beginning and end of the earth.

Life and death of living beings. 

Did you regard human being as a microcosm, and assumed water would destroy everything, including this planet and all the living creatures on it? Is that why you draw this catastrophic flood on a paper?

Everything start with water, and end with water… however, we cannot regard water as the primordial.  Without doubt, we, modern humans can take a flood as a warning.

From the end of 20^th century and the beginning of 21^st century, the nature has warned us with the unbalance of soil, air, and water on the earth.  We can see the backlash in all over the place; series of earthquakes and Tsunami such as in 2010 Chile, 2004 Sumatra, and 2012 east Japan; volcanic eruption in Iceland, Indonesia, Filipino, or destruction of the ozone layer, if we name some.

By the earthquake which happened in Japan last year, radiocesium was released in the air due to Tsunami, and which has affected people’s health.  From that point of view, the water could lead us to the destruction of the world, like the flood you drew.  However, I want to believe that human beings exist in order to prevent those catastrophes and to bring all the lives to eternal beings.

Water flows simply and beautifully, and supports all the beings to live.  We have to work on to bring back the nature as it supposed to be like that.  Human beings have been liable to utilize the nature only for their benefits.  From now on, however, we have to create the society with a nature in the center.  I want people to learn the ecocentric way through your works.  Not many people have seen your sketches and drawings of water, and I am sure they will appreciate your works with surprise.

*The drawings of the catastrophic flood by da Vince are available on the Internet: use keywords such as da Vinci, flood for the search.

Conversation with Leonard da Vinci: No. 4

In your notebook, you wrote “everything changes as time goes by” and “water is a charioteer of nature”.  I assume that you used those expressions because your study started with Water and move to Time.  I also believe that water carries with time. 

Water has cut the earth and rocks, and formed the geography as it is now.  You often painted in your drawings saw-like rocky mountains, and rivers which flowed down from the mountains.  Those symbolically express the flux of time.  Time gives meaning to everything. 

Time is a concept made by human beings.  It is equivalent to the change, movement, and flow of water.  Time means lives of all the beings. 

Looking at current situation, the water is in a critical state.  As you know, water supports all the living beings.   

I have a big favor to ask you.  Human beings have to conserve the water; the existence used to be very alive in the past, but at least, we have to maintain the current situation.  That can be achieved by being thankful and loving water; in order to give all the beings eternal lives.

You and I are both from water world.  Therefore, I would like to ask you to be a part of a mission which was given by this messenger.  Please listen to the words this messenger shouts at us.  What do you hear?

I look forward to your reply.

CONVERSATION WITH LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 3

You have left many sketches and drawings of water.  You studied flows of water by rivers, by ponds, and by fountains; these are very precise. 

You would put a stick or a board in the flow, and depicted how the water changed its movements depending on the resistance it received.  The sketches were well illustrated with bubbles and swirls with agogics strokes.

I also depicted the movements of water on Ryusuimon; how rocks in the river change the flow, how the water flows in between rocks, how flow changes after the right and left currents merge together, and so on.

You also have left many sketches on plants and animals.  However, I noticed that your strokes in those drawings are based on or imitated the flows of water.  In your sketch of Star of Bethlehem, I can see the plant stretches each one of its leaves with beautiful curves.  The curves are so similar to the one of water which flows over the surface when it reached to the maximum.  The flower is drawn symbolically as a growth of living beings.  Moving and flowing is negation of retention and stopping, and is a proof of life.

I assume your interest in water is your ultimate question for everything; you quested roots of every flows in water and regarded water as a form of life.  I also started to think water as a bond of everything.  Physically, everything on the earth is soaked in water, isn’t it?  That is why, I think, one needs to know and study the flow of water in order to see the world.

*Some of da Vinci’s sketches of water can be seen on the Internet; use keywords such as da Vinci, water, sketch, drawing for the search.

CONVERSATION WITH LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 2

You have left many paintings with flowing water in the background.  Why is that?

For example, The Baptism of Christ, The Virgin of the Rocks, The Last Supper, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, Mona Lisa, and The Annunciation.  In those works, flows of water are so lively painted to accentuate the main theme of the work.

What was the purpose of the water?  Like critics evaluated, did you expect depths and perspectives of the composition?  If so, why did you use “water”, but not other objects, for most of your works?

In The Baptism of Christ, water flows from the background and Jesus’ feet were soaked in it.  It seems to me that the water means more than an effect in terms of composition.  How did water evolve inside of you?

I am not an art historian.  Therefore, this question comes from my mere curiosity after I played with water over 35 years.  Water in your artwork means more than just a substance.  It is an integral part of your work; a symbol of life which comes from sacredness and leads to death.  Other objects in your paintings can be seen as a part of our body; rocks as a bone of the earth, water as body fluid, and flowing river as blood. 

I wonder people in your time shared the similar consciousness about the water like you did?

CONVERSATION WITH LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 1

I already mentioned about Leonard da Vince in my earlier entry in January.  Today, I feel like writing a letter to him 550 years ago.

You have left numerous masterpieces. 

You have brought rays of hope to humans showing your observation skills and innovative techniques as a scientist and artist.  Every time I encounter your name, I become very respectful.  Besides paintings, you also left many sketches and notes on plants, animals, and water; which are very suggestive about humans’ future.   

Among your works, however, your study on water draws my attention because I also have played with water for 35 years in flowing rivers, and came to understand a bit of its nature.

Here is my speculation about Mona Lisa, and I would like to know your opinion about it.

Firstly, about two rivers which flow down from the high mountains in the back of Mona Lisa.  To me, right and left side of the picture doesn’t seem continuous, and I wonder why. 

Did you capture water as a symbol of time, I mean flux of time?

This speculation comes from my experience with water.  After long involvement with water, I came to a conclusion that water and time is inseparable. 

Each side of the rivers from the rocky hills signifies past and future.

A bridge close to Mona Lisa’s left shoulder connects past and future.  Mona Lisa lies in the middle as a represent of present moment.  What does her gentle smile signify?  Since you like to keep secrets from other people, I suppose you have embedded a hidden message to us.

I am looking forward to your reply.

A THOUGHT FOR LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 2

You can see flows of water in the background of Da Vinci’s masterpieces, such as Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and Virgin of the Rocks.  Why did he prefer to paint pictures with water which flowed from high mountains?  It is also said that Mona Lisa’s hair was painted after the close study of the water movements.

He left many sketches of water, and he depicted how the water flowed on the side of the river.  It is interesting for me to see how he ‘described’ the details of the flows; when the water hit a piece of wood or a board, it made fractions with it while making swirls and escaped to continue its journey.

My Ryusui-mon caught the flows of water in which Da Vinci was interested.  Therefore, I am positive that Da Vince must have wanted to see my works.  One of his works which draws from a small stream, a big flow, and turns into a big flood is very powerful.

Also, he left many scriptures on water.  Among them, for example, it reads “Water is the Charioteer of the nature” and “Water changes everything together with time”.  Meanwhile, I would like to say “Water is the Charioteer of all the living beings” and “Water creates the time”…

A THOUGHT FOR LEONARD DA VINCI: NO. 1

Since I mentioned about Leonard Da Vince in New Year’s message, I would like to share my interests in him.

After ten years since I started Ryusuimon, I came across articles and sketches on water by Da Vince.  Through my time I spent with my artwork, I was made to realize his accuracy and fineness on watching, depicting, and expressing the water.  The more I spent time with water, the more strong I felt to show my work to Da Vince.  It came to a point which made me convinced that Da Vince would say to see my work; “this is what I wanted to see!” if he were alive today. 

Since then, my vision is to have a collaborated exhibition of Da Vince’s water sketches and my Ryusuimon, having crossing 550 years of time and have conversation through our works.

Da Vince, as a great natural scientist who aspired the eternal life of the earth, once warned people with a catastrophic flood for abusing the water.  Therefore, I believe this event will become a very important opportunity to share the importance and preciousness of water with people all over the world,