...Brittney Reed Professor Turner AR115 27 September 2014 The Mystery Surrounding Mona Lisa Mona Lisa is one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most poetic and famous pictures he painted. Painted in 1503-1505 with oil on a panel, the meaning of this most recognized painting in the world has left many wondering about the portrait’s meaning and why it has changed over time (Harris & Zucker, 2012). The evolution around the Mona Lisa painting has grown over the centuries after it was completed. This and many other of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting and writing has became ever so popular because of who the artist is and the detail and technique that he used in them. Another reason the it fascinates me and many others is when you are looking into her eyes they seem to follow you where ever you move. This gives an erie feeling that people in the recent decades thrive for in today’s decade. The painting is also very mysteries. Who is Mona Lisa? Who was she posing for? What is the little smirk on her face? As most of the portraits that were see in that era there are no smiling faces, a blank look if you will. Many say that Mona Lisa is the wife of a Florentine merchant and the painting was intended for her husband (Harris & Zucker, 2012). After Leonardo had finished the painting it was never given to the husband and Leonardo decided to keep it for himself as he went to work for the King of France, Francis I and why that is to this day remains a mystery (Harris & Zucker, 2012). Portraits...
Words: 830 - Pages: 4
...I believe the primary reason that the Mona Lisa has become so famous is that fact that the painting holds a mystery that no one can prove 100 % proof of how, when, why it was created. Many rumors has been created of her making saying that it was Leonardo Da Vinci dressed as a woman in a self-portrait, others has stated that a man by the name of Franceso del Glocondo, a wealthy silk merchant was the husband of Mona Lisa and he paid Leonardo Da Vinci to paint her, others believe that it could even be his mother. Regardless of the reason why and who she is there is something that makes people overly intrigued by her plain and awkward beauty. I learned through my reading that Leonardo Da Vinci was infamous for not completely a piece of art and Mona Lisa almost didn’t get complete. In Florence, Italy on 1503 or 1504 Leonardo Da Vinci began painting The Mona Lisa. But he did not finish it until 1519 in France when the king had him to stay in 1516, so that he can finish The Mona Lisa. His oil painting of the unknown woman caught a lot of attention over the past 500 years. Looking at the Mona Lisa a person can see many things she is trying to say without moving her lips. Leonardo Da Vinci created this piece of create with facial features that say a lot without saying anything. Her eyes speaks of flirtation, calmness, investigation, along with a smirk. The eyes of the portrait is amazing to see how it can look at you without blinking. Even the fact that he didn’t create her perfect...
Words: 760 - Pages: 4
...Mona Lisa The lady behind the painting By: Max Beagle I. Introduction A. The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci’. B. The location of the painting is in the Musee du Louvre. C. The Mona Lisa was worked on for four years. D. Till this day there has been many debates and a multitude of theories in an effort to uncover the mysteries behind the Mona Lisa E. The two biggest mysteries are the identity of the lady in the paint and the nature of her smile. II. Who is the lady behind the painting? a. Most commonly known as Lisa Gherardini Giocondo b. Another rumor is she is to be da Vinci’s mistress, Duchess of Milan (Isabella). Da Vinci was the family’s painter. c. Others believe the Mona Lisa is a feminine version of da Vinci. Digital analysis reveals da Vinci’s facial characteristics are perfectly aligned with one another. III. The Smile a. The painting technique is referred to as “sfumato” meaning “vanished” or “smoky”. This technique leaves interpretation to the viewer’s imagination. b. When looking at the portrait it appears the Mona Lisa is smiling. When looked at closely, she is no longer smiling. The appearing and disappearing of her smile is an attribute to the viewer’s vision. c. The painting remains an enigma to art enthusiasts. d. Famous French artist, Luc Maspero jumped four floors from a hotel to his death. In his suicide not he said “I preferred death after years of struggling to understand the mystery...
Words: 258 - Pages: 2
...Leonardo's Mona Lisa AR115 Introduction to the Visual Arts Park University Mr. Trevis Martin December 2, 2012 Leonardo's Mona Lisa The tetragrammaton simply means "four letters," YHWH; which stand for the name of the God of Israel, and means "to be." The proper pronunciation and spelling was too holy to say or write that it was lost centuries ago and cannot be found in any ancient writings; therefore, Israelis substituted the name to Yahweh, or Jehovah, but only pronounce and write Adoni which means Lord. There are some things that cannot be explained, and this sort of story is not only found in religion, it can also be found in art. She is called The Mona Lisa, a most-beautiful "strange image [that] strikes at the subconscious with a force that is extremely rare in an individual work of art" (Sassoon, 2003). Her popularity is beyond comprehension and colors and lines too deep to express, and one's words are lost when one looks at her gaze. Paul Zelanski and Mary Pat Fisher (2010) explain that "the word 'art' cannot be found in any English dictionary before 1880 and that even when it did appear it was used primarily with reference to painting" (Zelanski & Fisher, 2010, p.13). Furthermore, the Oxford Dictionary defines art as "the skillful production of the beautiful in visible forms" (qtd. in Zelanski & Fisher 13). This almost sounds like an oxymoron; "beautiful in visible forms." How can one produce beauty, or better yet, how can someone...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Haylie Jefferson Extra Credit Art Appreciation February 10, 2016 Mona Lisa is Missing August 11, 1911 was a dramatic day for Paris. One of the most famous paintiin the world, the Mona Lisa, was stolen from Louvre Museum. The man who stole the painting was named Vincenzo Peruggia. This is a large crime and no one would ever think that Peruggia would be able to do something like this. He is a small, uneducated, working man. Joe Medeiros, the director and writer of this film is trying to figure out exactly how this happened. Joe travels across the country to meet Peruggia’s daughter, Cheltiza to get some unanswered questions. After talking with her, he quickly finds out that she never even knew her father. Peruggia died on October 8, 1945 which is his birthday as well and his body was buried in France. She was very young when he passed away and her mother remarried her dead husbands brother. They hid the fact that her father was a theft for 18 years and never told her about anything. She only knew small things about the theft that she had heard. She says that the reason her father did it was for patriotism from his country and wanted to get revenge on his co-workers that would make fun of him and call him “macaroni” because he was from Italy and that’s all she really knew about him. Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa on August 11, 1911. He stole the painting in for two whole years. He got into the museum with his old work because they were cleaning the pictures glass. At the time he...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...Did you know the world’s most famous painting the Mona Lisa was by a Renaissance man? In fact, most famous pieces of art mentioned in textbooks or hung up in museums were done by Renaissance men. So, how did these paintings come to be? Well, that question starts with fall and the rebirth of a country. That fall was the fall of Rome; very similar to spending hours and hours building a snowman only to have it melt in matter of minutes, except hours were actually decades and the snowman was an empire. The fall of Rome left people defenseless, and the Pope who hardly ever got involved in political matters, began ordering armies to take over cities. Men rode in on horses to Jerusalem, the holy capital of the world and decapitated those who were blasphemous against the holy one. And the chaos only further ensued when the Crusaders, Christian soldiers, got a hold of Jerusalem, they went after the Jews and non believers and so on. But, people finally had...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...Office Space Design Conventions and Impact on Productivity Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/office-space-design-conventions-and-impact-on-productivity-5425505.html A lot of people are only vaguely aware how the office layout can affect the disposition of its occupants. This is known as office psychology, and it can affect the productivity levels of workers. Since the style and theme of the office space is drawn from the creative taste of its interior designer, it is no wonder that most office space layouts are inspired by modernist trends. However, the layout typically follows the psychological process of the occupants to make them more productive. More and more modern offices are designed to maximize social interaction between colleagues unlike the traditional cubicle setup where each employee is practically caged. This is implemented under the idea that social interaction and free communication enhances critical thinking, and generates ideas and productivity. This is characterized by open offices with wide aisles and non-enclosed stations, allowing free face-to-face communication when necessary. The modern open office is normally wide, open, bright, and may or may not have wide windows to let in light. The view outside should allow peace of mind and help generate ideas especially for creative projects. The office space must also have a warm and welcoming reception area. This may be decorated with the company's awards, accomplishments, and goals to...
Words: 422 - Pages: 2
...The title of the film itself hints towards the emotional ambiguity as it was in Mona Lisa’s smile which has been a topic of debate for years now. This film portraying life of 1950’s high society is based on similar instances where characters face such ambiguity in emotions due to circumstances, their choices and societal norms. The film circles around an elite prestigious private women’s college called Wellesley which is conservative institution and has its core in traditional values and societal norms, the lead protagonist with a liberal mindset challenging those values and system and the girls of the college who are in ambiguity to decide who of the above two is right. This film not only sheds light on the ambiguity of emotions or confusion...
Words: 1072 - Pages: 5
...Virtual Art Trip The Mona Lisa and The Wedding Feast at Cana are two very popular works of fine art, which happen to be displayed in the same room at the Louvre. Even though both of these share a median of oil paint that seems to be where their similarities end. The Mona Lisa is painted on a panel which allows no light at all to come through the back of the image; whereas The Wedding Feast at Cana is painted on canvas allowing the possibility of light to seep through the back. This can actually cause the painting to have a radiant effect. Since the focal point of The Wedding Feast at Cana is Jesus at the center with a glowing halo around his head, this appearance brings our attention back to Him. This is a wonderful place to show that The Mona Lisa’s warmer colors seem to pull more towards the front of this portrait piece while the cooler colors of The Wedding Feast at Cana seem to be further back and there are more people visual. There is a unity to The Wedding Feast at Cana and all of the people, animals, and décor. All of the pieces seem to work in harmony to create union; whereas The Mona Lisa seems to be in more disarray. She has a river in her backdrop which on one side seems to be completely chaotic and on the other side seems to be completely tranquil. The proportion in The Mona Lisa is very dramatic and only apparent if you pay attention to the background. In The Wedding Feast at Cana it is scaled down considerably. It gives a more realistic affect as if you are...
Words: 343 - Pages: 2
...Mona Lisa Smile; From a Sociological Perspective A Mike Newell directed inspirational film, falls in place with the setting in the American picture of woman life at a tradition bound all-girl college. Set in the era where women were different than they are today, it explores life through marriage, feminism, and education with the protagonist in a form of a modernist female teacher, seeking to liberalize minds at the significant end of a traditional era. The story began with the introduction of the protagonist, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), a fresh novice professor with a socially progressive mindset hailing from the state of California, who takes up a job in the art history department at what we could call a snobbish girls college; Wellesley in the fall of year 1953. Disregarding warnings from her boyfriend Paul (John Slattery) that this job’s environment was unsuitable for her element of thoughts; Katherine was enthusiastic at the prospect of educating the classrooms to some of the most brilliant and brightest women in her country. Her first impression of Wellesley was however dampened by the first day of class, being humiliated by her smug students who demonstrated their impressive knowledge of the text syllabus in front of her supervisor. Katherine determined to not be shaken by their, and chose to stray from the syllabus to regain the upper hand; an idea which was opposed by the college president. Katherine challenged the girl’s ideas of what constituted...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...whatever the medium or the mode of expression can be, the main thing is the way we can interpret the painting when we see it. In the following document we will be able to describe how two pieces of art “Mona Lisa” a portray by Leonardo Da Vinci and “Mona Loca” a graffiti by Abstrk can be similar in their forms but behind that, there is a vast difference in ideas, techniques and point of view of each artist. Mona Lisa is a masterpiece of the renaissance period characterized to look realistic and to bring the life out of the painting, while Mona Loca represents a contemporary art, a graffiti which displays surreal elements and less humanism in the artwork. The Mona Lisa is probably the most known piece of artwork in the entire world. It was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a famous Italian artist between 1504 and 1519. Da Vinci was a considered a Renaissance artist. He was a great painter, but also an observer, scientist and a great inventor who also studies some medicine and anatomy. This preparation allowed him to draw and paint it more accurately than any other artist of his time. Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece “Mona Lisa” or “La Gioconda” results in a painting that seems to be alive. This quality of being realistic is what makes Mona Lisa to fit into Renaissance artwork. Mona Lisa is figure of a woman, dressed in the fashion of her day and seated in a mountainous landscape. The general impression that this portrait gives is the great serenity, enriched by some mystery or even...
Words: 1109 - Pages: 5
...controversy they were painted over with veils and loincloths. The Last Judgment is monochromatic and flesh tones and sky colors dominate the work. Yellow, orange, green and blue are scattered throughout the painting. Michelangelo focuses on the action of human creatures quite different than Leonardo’s emphasis on perspective such as birds in flight. His art enhances the naturalism and he had a great skill at portraying profound emotions that make this painting striking. The painting is sort of obscure and has many different meanings. (Michelangelo’s Last Judgment: The Response) The second work of art I chose is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. He started this masterpiece in 1503 and finished it in 1506. It was painted with oil paints and it was painted on wood. Leonardo was one of the most famous painters of all time. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most well-known...
Words: 546 - Pages: 3
...| Leonardo Da Vinci | Renaissance Man | | Jenny Bevier | 8/20/2010 | | Very few that have ever lived have been acknowledged as a genius. Leonardo Da Vinci was a renaissance man who was a true pioneer of his time. Though he is best known as an artist, he was far more than that. Leonardo was also an engineer, inventor, and scientist. He had one of the best scientific minds of his time. He carried out research in fields ranging from architecture and civil engineering to astronomy, anatomy, geography, geology, and paleontology. Leonardo was a renaissance man whose works of art and studies of mechanics and science paved the way for many artists, engineers, and doctors today. Da Vinci was born in 1452 in the small town of Anchiano, Italy. He was an illegitimate child of a Florentine Notary, Piero Da Vinci, and a peasant woman named Catrina (The World Wide Art Gallery, 2010, para. 2). Until the age of five Leonardo lived in the Hamlet of Anchiano with his mother. From 1457 on he lived with his father, grandparents, and uncle Fracesco in the small town of Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci never received a formal education. However, he was informally taught Latin, geometry, and mathematics by his stepmother Alberia, and her mother in law Monna Lucia. Also, he learned from scholarly textbooks that were owned by various family members. When Leonardo was fifteen, he was apprenticed to the artist Andrea Di Cione, known as Verrocchio. During this time is when Leonardo was...
Words: 1505 - Pages: 7
...AUTOBIOGRAPHY Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was the epitome of a “Renaissance man.” Possessor of a curious mind and keen intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work as a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman. His ideas and body of work—which includes "Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa"—have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo was, and is, renowned primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time, with their fame approached only by Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, France, on May 2, 1519. François I had become a close friend. Vasari records that the King held Leonardo's head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, Ménageot and other French artists, may be legend rather than fact. Da Vinci has been called a genius and the archetypal Renaissance man. His talents inarguably extended far beyond his artistic works. Like many leaders of Renaissance humanism, he did not see a divide between science and art. STYLE OF PAINTING da Vinci’s Painting Technique Throughout his years (1452-1519), Leonardo da Vinci employed a variety of techniques...
Words: 3115 - Pages: 13
...Literacy Devices Metaphors A comparison without the use of ‘like’ or ‘as’. Example: “He’s a pig” is a metaphor Simile - figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though. i.e. She floated in like a cloud. Personification - Attributing human or other animate characteristics to an inanimate object. Example: Clouds cry. Motif - any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature Irony. Conveys the opposite of what is meant or what would be expected. Examples: Saying “You’re so graceful!” to someone who has just tripped is verbal irony. A lifeguard drowning in a bathtub is irony of situation. A special kind of literary irony is when the reader (or viewer) knows something the character doesn’t. This is common in horror movies. An example of this is when the heroine runs to Jason for help, when we know he’s the slasher. Sarcasm is verbal irony with attitude, with a mean edge. Pathetic fallacy is a type of literary device whereby the author ascribes the human feelings of one or more of his/her characters to non-human objects or nature or phenomena. It is a type of personification, and is known to occur more by accident and less on purpose. e.g. The softly whistling teapot informed him it was time for breakfast. Hyperbole. Literary exaggeration. Examples: Gilgamesh and Enkidu carried thirty score pounds of weaponry. I’ll give you...
Words: 425 - Pages: 2
