Miracle of the Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist that impacted our world in several relevant ways. He painted many different works of art, several of which are still in some the most recognized museums in the world. The Louvre Museum in Paris, France still holds his most famous painting- the Mona Lisa, and has since 1797. Leonardo da Vinci was also a scientist, who observed several different species and aspects of nature. He was influenced by writings of ancient Greeks and Romans, but unlike them he was aware that seeking the truth in just the writings of the Bible would limit his knowledge.
Instead of searching for answers in writings and the observations of others, he decided the most accurate way to get reliable answers would be to observe nature itself, which inspired numerous parts of his artwork. Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Mona Lisa” was created in 1503-1517 at his home in Florence, Italy and is considered by many one of the best masterpieces of all time.It is said to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, a woman married to a man named Francesco del Giocondo. The painting was originally obtained by Francis I, King of France. After its ownership with the King it was passed on to a few different museums until it was sold to the French Republic in 1797 and has been on display at The Louvre museum in Paris since.
The Mona Lisa is often described as a mysterious painting. The woman’s expression in the painting is that of a mystery, some see her as happy, some see her as sad, and some see her as emotionless. The illusionism and the continually unsolved puzzle of the subject’s expression have contributed greatly to the centuries long fascination with this work. The Mona Lisa was carefully crafted with oil paints. The painting is actually a pyramid design for the purpose of placing the subject in a calm and simple setting.
The woman’s body makes up the pyramid, starting at her hands, all the way up to her head. The lighting in the painting gives a selection of several living things. If you examine the nature in the background, you begin to see how it started with spheres, circles and other geometric shapes. Leonardo da Vinci effectively used the simple formula of a sitting woman, with the addition of a visual distance between the woman and the viewer with the use of the armrest on the chair. The Mona Lisa was painted during the Renaissance period. It is widely hailed as one of the best works of art that came out of that period.
In 1517 it was sold to the King of France for a good sum of money. Most of Leonardo da Vinci’s works are identifiable by “the smile.” The smile is said to of originated from his mother, Caterina. The smile of the upward turn at the left side of the mouth, also seen on most of his other paintings, such as St. Anne. The smile that turns up in several of Da Vinci’s works and is said to be a trademark of sorts.
The Mona Lisa painting was not a very popular painting outside the art world until its theft on August 21, 1911. Louis Beroud was the first to notice the painting gone, the place on the wall where the Mona LIsa once rested laid four iron bars. He immediately contacted the guards and they were under the impression that it was being photographed. However they soon came to realize that was not the case. Guillaume Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso were both accused of the hanus crime, and imprisoned.
However, they were both proven innocent, and released from custody. The Mona Lisa was thought to be lost forever. It was a whole two years before the real thief was uncovered. An Italian patriot by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia who had a strong belief that Da Vinci’s painting belonged in a museum in Italy. The painting sat in his apartment for two years, until he attempted to sell the painting to the Uffizi Museum in Florence.
As a result the painting traveled all over Italy for exhibits, and was later returned to the Louvre Museum in 1913.
