The name of Leonardo Da Vinci has been synonymous to one painting and that is the Mona Lisa.
Though he has been hailed to be a great mind of his stature and was credited for some of greatest inventions in the modern world, most of us would certainly agree that there's no better work that could represent him other than this popular painting.
But how come this painting is so revered compared to his other accomplishments? What makes the Mona Lisa so valuable to all of us? In this article, we are going to talk about the Mona Lisa painting which is a very famous and mysterious artwork done by one of the brilliant minds that ever walked the earth.
This article is created to know more details about the painting as well as examining some facts and fiction about the much debated Da Vinci's artwork.
Overview Of Mona Lisa: The Mona Lisa painting is one of the most recognizable works in the whole history of art.
The title of the painting was derived from the Italian word "Ma Donna" which means 'my lady', then it was eventually changed into "Mona" which has the same meaning as the previous address.
So the title of "Mona Lisa" simply means 'My lady Lisa' or 'Madam Lisa'.
This artwork is believed to be portrait of Lisa Gherardini, who was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo.
Da Vinci was commissioned by del Giocondo to make a portrait of his wife some time during the age of the Italian Renaissance as a decor and to commemorate the arrival of another child in the family.
Leonardo started working on this painting on 1503 and set it aside after 4 years.
He then moved to France when the King Francis 1 invited him.
He resumed working on the painting in 1516 which took him another 3 years to finish it.
The mastery of this painting depicts the fine detail, the faint and ambiguous smile, and the distinctive gaze which brings an element of mystery.
In 1911, the painting was stolen in the Salon Carre.
The museum was closed for one week and the names of Guillaume Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso turned out to be the alleged culprit of the theft.
Their names were eventually cleared after careful investigation.
The painting was then found 2 years later when it was retrieved from Vicenzo Peruggia after and attempt to sell it.
He got the idea of stealing the Mona Lisa because his friend was selling fake copies of the painting and thought the counterfeit's value would increase once the real painting had vanished.
Today, this famous painting is considered to be the most popular, the most talked about, the most replicated, and the most sung about of all the paintings in the world of art.
Some Speculations About The Mona Lisa: Mona Lisa is often linked to many sorts of mysteries from its origin down to the details shown in the painting itself: 1.
Debate on the theory of origin - Many scholars disagree on the theory that the painting is the portrait of del Giocondo's wife and it may depict other subjects.
2.
Self portrait - Scholars and researchers argue the fact that this may not be a portrait of other subject, but this is actually a self portrait of the painter itself.
Da Vinci was trying to paint an ideal woman and his is using his facial features to create this masterpiece.
3.
A painting full of codes - Some experts believe that the Mona Lisa is painting that's embedded with a lot of codes.
They believe that Leonardo did this to tell us some information that he could not openly share to anyone during his time.
Conclusion: The painting of Mona Lisa is truly a one of kind extraordinary painting.
It may be an artwork that is full of mystery, but it surely is something that all of us can be proud of.