500 years after his death, Leonardo remains one of the world’s most popular artists and the National Gallery’s Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece will provide an immersive exploration of his genius as a painter, focused on The Virgin of the Rocks. From 9 November 2019 the Ground Floor Galleries will be completely transformed into a space that investigates this painting and the inventive mind that created it.
A wide range of multi-sensory experiences will be presented across four separate spaces. Visitors will be able to step inside a similar chapel-setting and see what art historical research suggests the painting’s setting may have been. They will be able to explore Leonardo’s own research, which informed the specific compositions in the painting. In addition, they will see how Leonardo used his scientific studies to create strong effects of light and shadow in his painting. The modern process of discovery in a conservation studio, where the mysteries and secrets of a painting are uncovered, will also be brought to life with visitors being able to engage in detail with the latest findings underneath The Virgin of the Rocks.