Tokyo – Japan on track to discover Leonardo’s ultimate enigma

On Wednesday, 27 July, at 6:30 p.m., art historian Costantino D’Orazio will reveal Leonardo Da Vinci’s ultimate enigma at the presentation of the latest book, “Leonardo segreto” (“The Unknown Leonardo”), published in Japan. Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the most renowned Italian Renaissance artists, had to wait more than 20 years to obtain his first success; a very long period during which he grappled with paintings, sculptures and engineering works that he never completed. Why didn’t he? Why is the Uffizi’s Adoration of the Magi unfinished? Why was the Mona Lisa never completed? Leonardo’s eclecticism – painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist, musician and architect – led him to be considered one of greatest geniuses of humanity, the author of the world’s most renowned painting, and the precursor of many modern inventions although he remains one of the most enigmatic personalities in History. There are still many questions that continue to envelop his personal life: why has he never succeeded to finish even one of his works? Why did such an ingenious scientist not find a way of making his Last Supper more enduring? Why are we incapable of confirming the identity of any of the people he portrayed? Leonardo’s life and works are the puzzle that D’Orazio’s book attempts to solve through a new interpretation key, using his paintings as Ariadne’s thread in exploring the maze of the artist’s mind.