The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of da Vinci's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that da Vinci 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 the idea of a link connecting humanity and nature. In the Renaissance which brought together all human activities, art meant science, art meant truth to life: Leonardo da Vinci was a great figure because he embodied the epic endeavor of Italian art to conquer universal values: he who combined within himself the fluctuating sensitivity of the artist and the deep wisdom of the scientist, he, the poet and the master.
In his Mona Lisa , the individual, a sort of miraculous creation of nature, represents at the same time the species: the portrait goes beyond its social limitations and acquires a universal meaning. Although Leonardo worked on this picture as a scholar and thinker, not only as a painter and poet, the scientific and philosophical aspects of his research inspired no following.
But the formal aspect - the new presentation, the nobler attitude, and the increased dignity of the model - had a decisive influence over Florentine portraits of the next twenty years, over the classical portrait. With his Mona Lisa, Leonardo created a new formula, at the same time more monumental and more lively, more concrete and yet more poetic than that of his predecessors.
Before him, portraits had lacked mystery; artists only represented outward appearances without any soul, or, if they showed the soul, they tried to express it through gestures, symbolic objects, or inscriptions.
The Mona Lisa alone is a living enigma: the soul is there, but inaccessible. The French king displayed the painting in his Fontainebleau palace where it remained for a century. At the outset of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte kept the painting in his boudoir.
Leonardo da Vinci died in , and he is buried at a French castle. Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage is undertaking an investigation, and plans to dig up his skull. They want to rebuild Leonardo's face, using CSI-style technology. Will he resemble the mysterious Mona Lisa? It is a painting but not a canvas. Da Vinci's famous masterpiece is painted on a poplar plank. Considering he was accustomed to painting larger works on wet plaster, a wood plank does not seem that outlandish.
Canvas was available to artists since the 14th century, but many Renaissance masters preferred wood as a basis for their small artworks. She has her own room in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
A glass ceiling lets in natural light, a shatter-proof glass display case maintains a controlled temperature of 43 degrees F. Jackie Kennedy invited her to visit. WOW, it sounds like this was a great connection to what you're learning in class, Kamaria! We love that today's Wonder made you think of another Wonder-- you're putting together awesome ideas and facts! We think it's cool that you have been reading about Leonardo Da Vinci already- what an interesting man!
We bet you can use your awesome imagination to form a guess for tomorrow's Wonder, Payson! What was your favorite fact from today's grinning Wonder? Thank you so much, Wonder Friend Page! We are glad you're here this morning! What is your favorite part of today's artistic Wonder? Hey there, Ms. Bayko's Class, we are so happy you shared your Wonder comment with us this morning! One of the coolest things about art is that everyone's opinion matters!
If you see the Mona Lisa painting and you don't think it's that great-- that's okay! He was an artist, a scientist and an inventor! He had many talents to share which makes him a very famous historical figure! Every year people come to France to see Mona Lisa. You're right, Kyle! Thanks so much for sharing your comment today, isn't the Mona Lisa the painting and the woman so fun to Wonder about? We Wonder if you have a favorite painting, Kyle?
Perhaps you enjoy painting or drawing? We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience.
Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together.
We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Who was Mona Lisa? Where is the Mona Lisa?
Who painted the Mona Lisa? Wonder What's Next? What's the most money you could ever imagine spending for a work of art?
Are there things that you possess that you wouldn't trade for any amount of money? Simple possessions, such as books or video games, probably aren't priceless. But what about photographs? Or memories? How about your health? Take some time today to think about what is truly priceless to you!
How do the Mona Lisa's caretakers make sure she is in tip-top shape? They give her a check-up, of course! Watch National Geographic's Testing the Mona Lisa video to learn about how art experts and scientists use modern technology to make sure the world's most famous and most valuable painting will be with us for many more years.
It's time to exercise your imagination! Picture Mona Lisa's smile in your mind, and then write a brief story explaining exactly why Mona Lisa is smiling. Does she know a secret? Perhaps she is remembering a humorous memory from her childhood? Maybe the painter had broccoli stuck in his teeth?
Your story can be funny or serious. It's up to you! Just use your imagination to come up with a story that explains what you think Mona Lisa is smiling about. Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words gaze pun subject poplar merchant bulletproof portrait acquired contraction patriot auction enigmatic commissioned jocund jovial vandalism famous permanent Take the Wonder Word Challenge.
Join the Discussion. Feb 19, Nov 15, If you are teaching small kids about her than sure, anything else, I do not recommed. I like the Mona lisa but how do you make wonders?????? Aug 20, GillisNA23 Jan 12, I love art. I wonder if I could draw like that one day:. Jan 16, What do you like to draw? Wickie Oct 25, Oct 27, The following is how you would cite this page: "Who Was Mona Lisa? Lyra Sep 21, How much do you know about Mona Lisa? Let us know.
Sep 25, Davin Dec 8, Dec 9, Bhakti Apr 20, Apr 21, We're glad you learned something new! Micah Whitfield Jan 26, Mona Lisa is a cool person to learn about and she can be found in a museum. Jan 26, Lizz Dec 15, Bonnie Apr 28, Feb 17, We agree, Wonder Friend! We love hearing from all our Wonder Friends! Dec 16, Jesse Nov 24, Very good article and i've always wondered about the Mona Lisa Painting. Nov 24, Sep 17, Tyler Apr 30, Thanks I used this information for my lesson in work time.
Thanks Wonderopolis! Wonderopolis Apr 30, That's great news, thanks for including our Mona Lisa Wonder in your work, Tyler!
Way to go! Wonderopolis Apr 29, Wonderopolis Apr 25, Wonderopolis Apr 23, We love your enthusiasm, T. Thanks for sharing your comment! ArtLover Apr 23, Wonderopolis Apr 21, PittM Apr 9, Hi Wonderopolis, I acually saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and it's creepy because her eyes follow you everywhere! But it was very beautiful! Wonderopolis Apr 10, Elizabeth Thompson Mar 20, I was like " I'm pretty sure I don't have Mona Lisa " hahahaha!!!!
I just wanted to share that!!! Wonderopolis Mar 20, Bob the Builder Mar 19, I would love to learn more about the Mona Lisa and her famous smile. I would also like to learn more.
Please add more interesting facts on this topic and others. Thank you. We learned about Mona Lisa. She's pretty cool. Wonderopolis Mar 19, Thank you for the wonderful passage on the Mona Lisa it was very educational I didn't have the chance to watch the video because it is blocked on my laptop but I will look it up on another computer to learn more about the Mona Lisa. Wonderopolis Mar 14, Tyler Jarvis Mar 12, Aww, don't be moanin' Lisa! Wonderopolis Mar 12, Bethany Mar 5, Wonderopolis Mar 6, Lauren Mar 5, Hi wonderopolis, I also am still wondering why Leonardo da Vinci kept the painting?
Hey why is Mona Lisa's smile so famous? I love wonderopolis. Deja Mar 5, Wow, Mona Lisa is great! I usually don't like art, but this is incredible!! Jaclyn Mar 5, There is a book I read about the actual Mona Lisa. It is called "The Second Mrs. Gavin Mar 5, Nadia Mar 5, No way I am going to buy that painting, let alone have the money. While this may seem odd, keep in mind that Leonardo was a sculptor and artist who had painted on large walls of plaster throughout much of his career, so a wooden panel probably wasn't much of a stretch for him.
It is generally believed that the painting is of Lisa Gherardini , the wife of a wealthy silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. The word mona is a colloquial version of the Italian word for madam or ma'am, hence the title Mona Lisa. The work's alternate title is La Giaconda. It is believed that the painting was commissioned by Giocondo to commemorate the birth of the couple's second child.
Over the years, there have been theories that Lisa Gherardini was not in fact the model in this painting. Speculation abounds that the mysterious woman in the image could be any one of a dozen Italian noblewomen of the time; there is even a popular theory that the Mona Lisa is a feminized version of Leonardo himself.
In general, art historians agree that the Mona Lisa really is Lisa Gherardini. Scholars also agree that Leonardo created more than one version of the Mona Lisa; in addition to the del Giocondo commission, there was likely a second commissioned by Giuliano de Medici in The Medici version is believed to be the one that hangs in the Louvre today. Unlike some artwork of the sixteenth century, the Mona Lisa is a very realistic portrait of a very real human being. Alicja Zelazko of Encyclopedia Britannica attributes this to Leonardo's skill with a brush, and his use of art techniques that were new and exciting during the Renaissance.
She says,. In addition to the use of sfumato , which was rarely done at the time, the woman in the portrait has an enigmatic expression on her face. At once both aloof and alluring, her soft smile actually changes, depending on the angle from which the viewer is looking. Thanks to differences in spatial frequency perception within the human eye, from one viewpoint she looks cheerful The Mona Lisa is also the earliest Italian portrait in which the subject is framed in a half-length portrait; the woman's arms and hands are displayed without touching the frame.
She is shown only from head to waist, sitting in a chair; her left arm rests on the arm of the chair. Two fragmentary columns frame her, creating a window effect that looks out over the landscape behind her.
Leonardo wasn't the first to create the appearance that a subject's eyes are following people around the room, but the effect is so closely associated with his skill that it has become known—somewhat incorrectly—as the " Mona Lisa Effect. For centuries, the Mona Lisa hung quietly in the Louvre, generally unnoticed, but on August 21, , it was stolen right off the museum's wall in a heist that rocked the art world.
The painting was stolen Monday morning, but the interesting thing about it was that it wasn't 'til Tuesday at noon that they first realized it was gone. Once the theft was discovered, the Louvre closed for a week so investigators could piece together the puzzle. Initially, conspiracy theories were everywhere: the Louvre had staged the heist as a publicity stunt, Pablo Picasso was behind it, or perhaps French poet Guillaume Apollinaire had taken the painting.
The French police blamed the Louvre for lax security, while the Louvre publicly ridiculed law enforcement officials for failing to turn up any leads. After more than two years, in late , a Florentine art dealer named Alfredo Geri received a letter from a man who claimed to have the painting. Geri immediately contacted the police, who soon arrested Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian carpenter who had been working at the Louvre at the time of the theft.
0コメント