Behind Mona Lisa’s Knowing Smile

Art Works of Man

Behind Mona Lisa’s Knowing Smile

Previous

Contents

Next

Art Appreciators

Louvre Museum in Paris, France houses hundreds of well known art pieces and creations. Millions of tourists visit the museum every day to have a glimpse of these art works. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is one of the popular paintings inside the museum. People get curious about the inspiration behind Mona Lisa and what is the meaning of her enigmatic smile. Some people say that the woman portrayed by Mona Lisa is the duchess of Milan, Isabella of Aragon. Da Vinci had served as the royal family’s painter so there is a possibility that the duchess served as his inspiration. Another modern theory about Mona Lisa’s identity has been publicized. According to this theory, Mona Lisa is a female version of Da Vinci himself. Studies have shown that there are indeed similarities between the features of the painter’s face and that of his painting. Lisa Gherardini, wife of a rich business man in Florence named Francesco del Giocondo was also said to be the woman in the portrait. This theory is still the widely accepted information about Mona Lisa’s true identity.

Much has been said about Mona Lisa’s knowing smile. She appears to know something that others are not aware of. This enigmatic smile stemmed from Da Vinci’s painting technique used in the art work called sfumato meaning blurry or hazy. When one stares at the painting he will not see the painting clearly and thus will have a perception of her famous mysterious smile. Another explanation was offered by Dan Brown’s book, The Da Vinci Code. It was mentioned that Da Vinci was a homosexual and he strongly believed in the union of the male and female into one body. This is the reason why Mona Lisa is neither male nor a female. The name Mona Lisa came from the greek god of fertility, Amon and his counterpart Isis who is also known as L’isa. According to the book, this is the reason why Mona Lisa smiles that way.

The painting had also been subject to theft; it was once stolen on 1911 from the Louvre Museum and was later retrieved in the year 1913. The people’s fascination and admiration for Mona Lisa still grows up to this day. You can never be sure on who she is and why she is smiling but the painting is solid evidence on how brilliant Leonardo Da Vinci is as an artist. Mona Lisa’s sophistication and mystery has captured the hearts of people from the past generation up to the present and certainly up to the future. Who knows, this might just be the reason behind Mona Lisa’s knowing smile.

You can talk about... Behind Mona Lisa’s Knowing Smile

Tags: • inspiration • paintings • france • paris • museum • leonardo da vinci • art works • true identity • louvre museum • smile • mona lisa •

• More Than Just Art Part One (art appreciation)
• More Than Just Art Part Two (art appreciation)

Previous

Contents

Next

• <a href="http://article-library.artworksofman.com">Art Works of Man</a>
• <a href="http://article-library.artworksofman.com/famous_artwork">Behind Mona Lisa’s Knowing Smile (famous artwork); Art Works of Man </a>

Privacy & DMCA Policy -- Sitemap
famous artwork Behind Mona Lisa’s Knowing Smile