Sergei Eisenstein's drawings on show at Florence's Uffizi

A major exhibition at the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence presents over 100 drawings by Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, exploring his artistic vision beyond cinema. The show, curated by Niccolò Lucarelli, traces Eisenstein's graphic work from 1916 to the 1940s, revealing his deep engagement with Renaissance art, particularly Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Paolo Uccello. Drawings from the 1930s and 1940s, including the cycles 'Koshma' (1941) and 'Mitologia greca' (1944), show a dynamic line that blends Michelangelo's plasticity with Leonardesque grace, while also anticipating manga. Works from his 1931 Mexican sojourn reflect the influence of Diego Rivera and surrealism, with touches of red and blue. The exhibition highlights Eisenstein's concept of 'total art' and his belief in cinema as the 'sun of the future,' a synthesis of sound, image, action, and thought. Despite Stalin's censorship and the director's later marginalization, the drawings attest to his enduring humanism and civil revolution, distinct from political violence.