The Mona Lisa

(The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci,1503-1506, Louvre Paris, France.)

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, or La Giocanda, is considered one of the most famous paintings in history. The portrait is of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco Del Giocondo. It is believed that the portrait depicts two events of the couple's lives. The first is believed to be after they had bought their first home in 1503, and the second when their son, Andrea, was born in 1502, after the death of their daughter. The black veil that adorns her is thought to be a mourning veil, and her apparel states the family to be of non-aristocratic status. The Mona Lisa is the earliest Italian painting to have the subject with only half of their body. The subject is at a 3/4 position against the landscape. It is said that the landscape also holds many metaphors and plays a role; the middle ground is painted in warm tones and is at chest level, the same level where the heart sits. In this open, warm area of the land is where mankind dwells. As your eye moves to the distant landscapes, the foliage thickens, and the land looks untamed and uninhabited, and is also cleverly painted right at her eye level. There are many mysteries that are still unlocked, and many of Da Vinci's intentions still remain unclear. The Mona Lisa smile is famous and iconic, yet why is it believed that she is wearing a mourning veil is she is supposed to look happy? Also, the positioning of her arms and wrist were very avante garde during Leonardo's time. No one knew exactly what the meaning behind the arm positioning was, yet many artists throughout history imitated it anyway. You may also notice that her face lacks eyebrows and eyelashes. One French engineer named Pascal Cotte was determined to unlock this one secret. Using a 24 megapixel multispectral imaging camera, the original painting was scanned, which resulted in an image that simulated the removal of centuries of alterations and varnishing. When Pascal zoomed in on the eye area, he discovered one singular brushstroke in the eyebrow region, suggesting that Da Vinci may have given Mona Lisa eyebrows after all.

(http://www.livescience.com/4648-25-secrets-mona-lisa-revealed.html)


(http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673226503&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673226503&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500816&bmLocale=en)