The Mona Lisa is the most famous work in the entire 40,000-year history of the visual arts. It provokes instant shocks of recognition wherever it is shown, reduces the Venus of Milo and the Sistine Chapel to the level of merely local marvels, sells as many post-cards as a tropical resort, and stimulates as many people as an unsolved international murder mystery. Like many celebrities today, the Mona Lisa is simply famous for being famous. Louvre officials estimate that most of the museum’s first-time visitors come mainly to stare at this cross between a cultural model and an icon of tastelessness. Undoubtedly, the painting has become part of our collective subconscious. This picture has provoked--and been the object of--crazy reactions, adoration, analysis, gross imitations, scandalous take-offs and the object of commercialization than any other work of art in history.
Da Vinci used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that models her hands. Detail of Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left. One wo
uld have to assume he chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Da Vinci used the seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of a seated Madonna, which were widespread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as the dividing element between Mona Lisa and the viewer. The woman sits strikingly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to this silent communication.
Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. It was common at this time for refined women to pluck them out, since they were considered to be unsightly. This also aides to the emotionless expression upon the woman’s face, and adds to its slightly semi-abstract quality. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to even greater extent. Da Vinci’s subtle sfumato technique of modeling light and shade reached its peak with the Mona Lisa. The composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect and we are attracted to this mysterious woman, but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature.
The painting was among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The woman is seated in an open terrace with dark pillar bases on e side. Behind her is a vast landscape that fades into icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. The curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created once again using the sfumato technique, are shown in the imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. The blurred outlines of the figure, creates dramatic contrasts of light and dark and the overall feeling of calm is expressed throughout the piece. Due to the fusion that was achieved between sitter and landscape, it is arguable whether Mona Lisa should be considered as a traditional portrait, for it represents an ideal rather than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting, especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile, reflects Da Vinci's idea of a link connecting humanity and nature.
The very look of that enigmatic, tight-lipped smile that has launched thousands of interpretations, logical explanations and crazy analyzes. It has been described as both innocent and inviting, and it is unknown why the smile has been seen so differently by people. The explanations range from scientific theories about human vision to ideas about Mona Lisa's identity and feelings. It has been argued that the smile is mostly drawn in low spatial frequencies, and so it can best be seen from a distance or with one's peripheral vision. For example, the smile appears more striking when looking at the portrait's eyes than when looking at the mouth itself. It could also be argued that the secret is in the dynamic position of Mona Lisa's facial muscles, where our mind's eye unconsciously extends her smile, resulting in an unusual dynamicity to the face that gives off a subtle yet strong emotion in the viewer of the painting.
The trend most recently however, has leaned towards the physiological explanations for the smile. Was Mona Lisa, whoever she was, asthmatic? Simply a contented pregnant housewife? One could speculate that she smiled with her mouth closed because she was undergoing 16th-century-style mercury treatment for syphilis;the mercury would have turned her teeth an ugly black, as well as leaving her with a sorely inflamed mouth. She could perhaps have suffered from congenital palsy affecting the left side of her face, backing up the theory by pointing out that she had the typically large hands of such patients. Or perhaps the semi-smile resulted from her being half-paralyzed either from birth or a stroke.This is indicated by the fact that her right hand looks relaxed but her left hand is strangely tense.
So who is the Mona Lisa? There are several variations to be considered as to the identification of the sitter. The painting was originally given its name because it was painted in imitation of Lisa del Giocondo, the wife the wealthy silk and cloth merchant Francesco del Giocondo, who is thought to have commissioned Lisa's portrait to celebrate the purchase of the family's new home in Florentine, Italy. The painting was intended for the portrayal of a woman of virtue. Shown as a faithful wife through gesture—her right hand rests over her left. Da Vinci presented Lisa as fashionable and successful, perhaps more well-off than she was, her dark garments and black veil were Spanish-influenced high fashion. Many believe that the veil is present because Lisa was mourning the loss of her daughter, yet another piece of identification. The portrait is strikingly large; its size is equal to that of commissions acquired by wealthier art patrons of the time. This extravagance has been explained as a sign of Francesco and Lisa's social aspiration.
During the last years of his life, Da Vinci spoke of a portrait "of a certain Florentine lady done from life at the request of the magnificent Giuliano de' Medici." No evidence has been found that indicates a link between Lisa del Giocondo and Giuliano de' Medici, however, the comment could instead refer to one of the two other portraits of women painted by Da Vinci. A later statement created confusion when it linked the Mona Lisa to a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo’s husband, Francesco. Who is perhaps the origin of the controversial idea that it is the portrait is actually of a man.
Which is when the idea that the Mona Lisa is actually a self-portrait came into play. The the
ory can be supported by the results of a digital analysis of the facial features of Leonardo's face and that of the famous painting. When a self-portrait drawing by Da Vinci is reversed and then merged with an image of the Mona Lisa, the features of the faces align perfectly. Some suggest that the painting is of Da Vinci’s mother Caterina, which explains the resemblance between artist and subject, observed and would also explain why Leonardo kept the portrait with him wherever he traveled, until his death.
Whomever she may be, or whatever Da Vinci’s reasoning behind painting this woman, this painiting is truly a magnificent specimen of how an artwork can impact a society in so many ways. Its truly a magnificent work that sends deep emotional feelings, and leads to different intrepretations by everyone who views it.
Works Cited:
http://www.encyclomedia.com/mona_lisa.htmlhttp://www.studiolo.org/Mona/MONALIST.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/vinci/joconde/
http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/mona.html
http://www.arlindo-correia.com/020602.html
