Da Vinci, Levallois and the Louvre, a spectacular trio to inaugurate the Sala de Cómic de Avilés
The Permanent Comic Hall of Avilés is born, the first municipal hall in Spain dedicated entirely to programming comic exhibitions. And he does it in a big way, with the Leonard2Vinci exhibition, which the Louvre Museum commissioned from the artist Stéphane Levallois, on the occasion of the fifth centenary of Leonardo da Vinci. A dialogue between two great artists that can be visited until January 12, 2022.
Asier Mensuro, curator of the exhibition, tells us why he thinks it is so important to have a municipal exhibition hall in Spain dedicated to comics: "Comics are a museum art in its own right and one of the artistic disciplines The most popular of the 21st century, that makes it increasingly common to see exhibitions of the ninth art. However, there is still a long way to go, and comic exhibitions are not as abundant as they should be. For this reason, a room entirely dedicated to comic, and more so in a city as closely linked to comics as Avilés, is very good news".
Regarding why they have chosen this great exhibition to open it, Asier tells us: "The choice of this exhibition seemed appropriate to me for many different reasons. The first is the incredible quality of Stéphane as an author. The second is because he reflects on one one of the greatest artists in history, and it is a project created by the first museum in the world, the Louvre".
"It seemed interesting to me to inaugurate this new room reflecting on the connection points between comics and classical arts -he adds-. And lastly, because Leonardo is a universal genius, and I think that an exhibition like this will pique the curiosity of fans of comics, but also those who are not. They will go, and they will get to know the room. I do not think that a comic book room has to be only for fans, but for all kinds of audiences. I understand that proposals will alternate in its programming more generalists, so to speak, with others more focused on the comic book lover".
Although achieving an exhibition at the Louvre has not been easy at all: "Getting the exhibition has been complex because the time to organize everything has been very short, but thanks to the generosity of Stéphane and the professionalism of Jorge Iván Argiz, everything has been very easy" -says Asier-.
Levallois has made the building and its history his own
Best of all, Stéphane himself has collaborated with the exhibition, adapting it to the space of the room: "It is a building Asier tells us that it has had many different uses before being an exhibition hall. Stéphane liked the space, so he decided to paint 3 large canvases with large versions of Da Vinci's drawings, and place them as installation on one of the walls. He also made various sketches that go in a showcase".
"One of the curiosities of the room is that inheritances from its previous use survive -he continues-. For example, there are 2 swords belonging to Pedro Menéndez, the well-known military man from Aviles. Curiously, Menéndez was born the same year that Da Vinci. Levallois was fascinated by the coincidence, and he drew the aforementioned swords in Da Vinci's style. The sketch was added to the exhibition on the fly, introducing it into the showcase where the swords are kept. That is, Levallois made the building his own and its history, thus creating an exhibition that, to a large extent, is unique and unrepeatable, since it has pieces closely linked to the exhibition space that cannot be understood in another context".
The room is located on the second floor of the old School of Ceramics, inside the Museum of Urban History of Avilés.
"And of course, I admire his work in cinema as a concept artist in cinema. His work with Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Juan Antonio Bayona or Wong-Kar-Wai is exceptional. In advertising he is also number one. This summer Half the world hallucinated with a spot to publicize the Tokyo Olympics, in which the graphics of ukiyo-e or Japanese engravings were imitated. The author of these drawings for the spot is Levallois".
"I think that Stéphane draws as we breathe -Asier tells us-. It's something of his nature. I remember him telling me that he draws practically every day of his life. In almost 40 years of profession, he doesn't believe there is I haven't even drawn 10 days in total".
For the mythomaniacs, add that Levallois has collaborated on films like Alien, King Kong, Jurassic Park, X-Men... and had a lot to do with the design of the last two films in the Harry Potter saga.
"Stéphane gets inside Leonardo's head"
For the exhibition, Stéphane researched himself thoroughly, as Aiser tells us: "Stéphane went to the Louvre to study Leonardo's drawings carefully. He spoke to the top specialists in the field to explain how he drew, and he even saw drawings that the Louvre treasures and that are only shown once every 10 or 15 years in very select exhibitions.Levalllois was so deeply imbued with the way of drawing by Leonardo, which impressed even the great specialists in the Florentine artist who work in the museum with Leonardo's works".
Those responsible for the Louvre Museum assured that this exhibition serves to reflect on Leonardo's technique through comics. Something with which Asier agrees: "The comic is very versatile as a language. And this comic about Leonardo (Léonard 2 Vinci) is proof of that. Among many other things, this comic explains something very complex. Stéphane literally gets into inside Leonardo's head and understand his creative process through drawing. Levallois makes such a thorough study of the drawing technique of genius that he ends up understanding genius in a unique way."
"For example, there are drawings by Leonardo that Levalllois couldn't do easily -he adds-. As soon as he drew for two hours, his capacity for concentration diminished and this was noticeable in the final graphic result, which suffered. However, this is not the case in Leonardo's original drawings. The conclusion he draws is that Da Vinci possessed a unique capacity for concentration, and that he was able to maintain it for hours on end."
The Louvre used the comic as an exhibition catalogue
The people in charge of the Louvre liked the comic by Stéphane (Léonard 2 Vinci) so much that they decided to use it as an exhibition catalogue. "The curators wanted to reflect on Leonardo's drawing as a creative tool -says Asier-. Leonardo thought by drawing. Today we know that the brain learns through images, and that Leonardo's drawings, in addition to being marvelous works of art, are also that, the imprint, the embodiment of Da Vinci's thought process. He understood and designed things by tracing them on paper."
"When the curators verify that Stéphane has achieved exactly that in his comic, turning Leonardo's drawing into the tool that supports the entire comic, they realize that the most logical thing is for this work to go from being a product associated with the exhibition, other than the exhibition catalogue. Needless to say, this is the first time in the history of the Louvre that the museum has decided to print its official catalog stamp in a comic."
The jewel of the exhibition
We asked Asier Mensuro what he thinks is the jewel of this exhibition: "The whole of the exhibition fascinates me. different, I will choose a watercolor on board that reminds us of the oil painting of The Virgin, the Child Jesus and Saint Anne. The rest of the pages of the exhibition mimic his way of drawing, but this particular painting also mimics Da Vinci's way of painting ".
Regarding the future of the exhibition, Asier assures: "Whoever wants to see it will have to go to Avilés before January 12. Then the exhibition returns to France, and part of its pieces will be integrated into a large exhibition with the rest of comics published by the Louvre prepared by Fabrice Douar."
"Regarding the future of the room -adds Asier-, I think that thanks to the advice of Jorge Iván Argiz, the room will have a program that is as varied as it is intelligent. Although I cannot reveal anything specific about future exhibitions, I can say that there will be exhibitions for all kinds of audiences and tastes. I imagine that little by little the room will find its audience, and that will create a dialogue between programmers and the audience. The room will gradually acquire its personality. But like everything, It is a process that needs time...".
