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The Mona Lisa is a famous 16th-century portrait by Leonardo da Vinci. The Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile has beguiled generations of viewers, but the true identity of the woman pictured in the portrait remains unknown, despite intensive research by art historians. The Mona Lisa painting now hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France.

What inspires me to write on this epic painting is not just the English assignment but my interest in solving the particular puzzle in my father’s phone  when I was mere 9, puzzling not about the puzzle but about the fact that is this lady smiling or is under stress ,also unknowing of the fact that it is actually one of the most talked painting in the world of Art which I discovered later.

The Mona Lisa is an oil painting, with a cottonwood panel as the surface. It is unusual in that most paintings are commissioned as oil on canvas, but the cottonwood panel is part of what has attributed to the fame of the painting. Because of the medium used for the image, the Mona Lisa has survived for six centuries without ever having been restored–a trait very unusual when considering the time period of the piece.

While most of the artwork of the Renaissance period depicts biblical scenes, it was the style and technique of the paintings of this period which make them distinguished from other eras of artwork. Anatomically correct features are one of the identifiable marks of this period of history in art, and the Mona Lisa stands out amongst the great paintings for the detail in her hands, eyes, and lips.

The Mona Lisa (properly Monna Lisa, but Americans shortened it) or La Gioconda, her original Italian name, is of huge importance in art history. The Wikipedia entry will tell you things like it is of "monumental" scale. No. The entire work is only about 30x20, scarcely monumental. It will also say that the use of putting her in the foreground with the dim landscape in the background was something revolutionary. No. Da Vinci often used landscape backgrounds in his works, as did other painters. It was a way to fill in space, give perspective and also gave a sense of storytelling, and anchored the subject with a geographical reference. But Piero della Francesca used this device (and others) much before da Vinci, though his works usually had groups of people rather than single figures.

 

However, the Mona Lisa is immensely important in the art world, which is a very different thing. She has compelled the attention of millions of viewers of art, and that is quite wonderful. She has done this despite the fact that a far better painting by da Vinci (IMHO), about the same size, is hanging a short distance away in the same museum (the Louvre) and has no protective glass disturbing its viewing. This is "La Belle Ferroniere". What accounts for this incredible difference in public taste? It can't possibly all be publicity by the museum.

 

Most people attribute Mona Lisa's attraction to the sense of enigma in her smile. Precisely how should we identify her expression?  Is she happy, sad, thoughtful? About what? We are almost compelled to continually be guessing - to project ourselves and our own feelings into her image.

 

But there is more. Vasari, a contemporary of da Vinci, wrote that the artist had created a portrait of a merchant's wife named Lisa Giocondo (Gioconda is wordplay on the name). It is assumed that this is that portrait. But there are possibly 4 or 5 other portraits that da Vinci created during the same period. Therefore, exactly who is this woman who is neither happy nor sad?

 

Also, da Vinci is known to have stated, "I've never really finished a work." So, is this piece finished - or not? Is the background of a particular location - and if it is, where? Does that give a clue to the identity of the subject? And is the work really subpar in its painting, or has it just been overcleaned - "over restored" through the years?  These are the multiple questions that swirl around this dun-coloured, 500 plus year old woman.  And this is why she is so fascinating and important in the world of art.

 

Aside from that smile's mystery, there is also the astounding technique. And the fact that an unfinished painting could still be the most famous one ever is pretty remarkable. That it has consistently had the world's fascination and respect all this while means something unto itself as well. So it's that combination of artistry and mystery.

Also I feel The identity of the woman in the painting is still a mystery. Some believe that it is the female form of Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Most popular belief is that the woman was Lisa Gherardini, who was 24-years-old and a mother of two sons. The painting has an imperfection. In 1956, a man named Ugo Ungaza threw a stone at the painting. This resulted in a small patch of damaged paint next to her left elbow. The painting is considered priceless and so it cannot be insured. Another interesting fact about the painting is that the woman in the painting has no eyebrows.

  Those who had a glimpse of Mona Lisa’s smile might have seen her smiling. However, if you look at the painting again you might say she’s not. Margaret Livingstone, a Harvard neuroscientist, was pretty sure that she already solved the puzzle. Livingstone stated that the reason why her smile suddenly appears and then fade was the way we look at the painting. She said that when we look at someone’s face, we usually focus on the center of the attraction, the eyes. She said that when we look at Mona Lisa’s eyes, we partially picks up shadows from her cheekbones which made her look like smiling. No one knows until today if Leonardo da Vinci really made the painting look that way.

Anmol Gautam

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