David Jobling
The Mona Lisa
March 30th 2006 10:01
What better way then to start a blog about culture than talking about the icon of culture all over the world. Yep, you know what I’m talking about, I’m sure you’ve seen it a hundred times.
The Mona Lisa.
Arty Analysis:
The most striking thing about the Mona Lisa is how alive she looks, Leonardo achieved this through ambiguity. The lines around her eyes fade into shadow, making it almost impossible to discern where the boundaries of her eyes lie. Thus every time we go back to her we get a distinctly different impression. Sometimes she appears sad, and other happy. Leonardo does the same thing with Mona Lisa’s infamous smile-he allows the edges of her lips, the places where expression is determined to melt into shadow. It’s what Leonardo doesn’t show us, as opposed to what he does that makes the Mona Lisa so life like.
Although it is not only the vagueness that has achieved this effect. If one takes care, it is clear that the two sides of the painting don’t quite match. The horizon on the left seems to lie much lower than the one on the right. Therefore when we focus on the left side of the picture the woman looks somewhat taller or more erect then if we focus on the right side.
Intresting Facts:
The painting was stolen on August 21, 1911. It was stolen by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia simply by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet, and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. Eduardo de Valfierno a renowned con-man master-minded the theft, and had commissioned the French art forger Yves Chaudron to make copies of the painting so he could sell them as the missing original. However, he didn’t require the original to go through with his plan so he never contacted Peruggia. After keeping the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to a Florence art dealer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa)
In recent times it has also been debated that the Mona Lisa is actually a self-portrait of Leonardo. This theory came about when people took an image of Leonardo and compared it to the Mona Lisa only to find out that the features of both works were mirror copies of each other.
For a while the Mona Lisa was in Napoleon’s bedroom, however after his fall from grace it went to the louvre. Today the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre behind bulletproof glass.
How to use this info at a cocktail party:
If you’ve run out of conversation topics bring up the fact that people think the Mona Lisa is Leonardo’s self portrait and see what everyone thinks.
If people mention the Mona Lisa, you can tell them about how one time it was stolen, or that ambiguity is the reason it’s so great.
The Mona Lisa.
Arty Analysis:
The most striking thing about the Mona Lisa is how alive she looks, Leonardo achieved this through ambiguity. The lines around her eyes fade into shadow, making it almost impossible to discern where the boundaries of her eyes lie. Thus every time we go back to her we get a distinctly different impression. Sometimes she appears sad, and other happy. Leonardo does the same thing with Mona Lisa’s infamous smile-he allows the edges of her lips, the places where expression is determined to melt into shadow. It’s what Leonardo doesn’t show us, as opposed to what he does that makes the Mona Lisa so life like.
Although it is not only the vagueness that has achieved this effect. If one takes care, it is clear that the two sides of the painting don’t quite match. The horizon on the left seems to lie much lower than the one on the right. Therefore when we focus on the left side of the picture the woman looks somewhat taller or more erect then if we focus on the right side.
Intresting Facts:
The painting was stolen on August 21, 1911. It was stolen by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia simply by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet, and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. Eduardo de Valfierno a renowned con-man master-minded the theft, and had commissioned the French art forger Yves Chaudron to make copies of the painting so he could sell them as the missing original. However, he didn’t require the original to go through with his plan so he never contacted Peruggia. After keeping the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to a Florence art dealer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa)
In recent times it has also been debated that the Mona Lisa is actually a self-portrait of Leonardo. This theory came about when people took an image of Leonardo and compared it to the Mona Lisa only to find out that the features of both works were mirror copies of each other.
For a while the Mona Lisa was in Napoleon’s bedroom, however after his fall from grace it went to the louvre. Today the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre behind bulletproof glass.
How to use this info at a cocktail party:
If you’ve run out of conversation topics bring up the fact that people think the Mona Lisa is Leonardo’s self portrait and see what everyone thinks.
If people mention the Mona Lisa, you can tell them about how one time it was stolen, or that ambiguity is the reason it’s so great.
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Sigh... I wish I'd stolen it in 1911.
Comment by liz
Comment by Sara
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak