The tumultuous history of the Mona Lisa (2024)

FAQs

What is the history behind the Mona Lisa? ›

Lisa del Giocondo was a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany, and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.

It is a visual representation of the idea of happiness suggested by the word "gioconda" in Italian. Leonardo made this notion of happiness the central motif of the portrait: it is this notion that makes the work such an ideal.

One long-standing mystery of the painting is why Mona Lisa features very faint eyebrows and apparently does not have any eyelashes. In October 2007, Pascal Cotte, a French engineer and inventor, says he discovered with a high-definition camera that Leonardo da Vinci originally did paint eyebrows and eyelashes.

The Mona Lisa is a visual representation of the ideal of happiness and the landscapes illustrated are very important. The middle distance, on level with the sitter's chest, is painted in warm colors. This is a humanized space complete with a winding road and bridge.

After setting up a meeting with the dealer and the director of the Uffizi gallery in Florence, Peruggia turned up with the painting which had spent years hidden in a trunk in his apartment. Peruggia, then 32 years old, claimed to have stolen the artwork to return her to her native Italy.

An Italian researcher says the key to solving the enigmas of "Mona Lisa"' lies in her eyes. Silvano Vinceti claims he has found the letter "S" in the woman's left eye, the letter "L" in her right eye, and the number "72" under the arched bridge in the backdrop of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting.

The Mona Lisa has influenced countless painters, from Leonardo's contemporaries to today's modern artists. In the centuries since her creation, the Mona Lisa has been copied thousands of times over by artists around the world. Marcel Duchamp took a postcard of Mona Lisa and added a mustache and a goatee.

Leonardo da Vinci's iconic Mona Lisa, the world's most famous, recognizable, and copied artwork, has a storied history. Painted between 1503 and 1519, it was owned by French royalty for centuries. Liberated by Revolutionary forces, the painting briefly adorned Napoleon's bedroom, then was installed in the Louvre.

One theory is that the model for the portrait was Leonardo's longtime apprentice and suspected lover, Gian Giacomo Caprotti, also known by the nickname Salai. The other theory is that the Mona Lisa is a self-portrait of Leonardo as a woman. Neither of these theories is well received by most art historians.

French poet Guillaume Apollinaire is arrested and jailed on suspicion of stealing Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa from the Louvre museum in Paris.

What are 5 facts about the Mona Lisa? ›

The Mona Lisa is a likely a portrait of the wife of a Florentine merchant. For some reason however, the portrait was never delivered to its patron, and Leonardo kept it with him when he went to work for Francis I, the King of France. The Mona Lisa's mysterious smile has inspired many writers, singers, and painters.

The Mona Lisa has been stolen once but has been vandalized many times. It was stolen on 21 August 1911 by an Italian Louvre employee who was driven to act by his Italian patriotism.

The man, identified as Andrew Shannon, was taken into custody and later sent to prison for six years.

And so, with much fanfare, the painting was returned to the Louvre. Perugia pleaded guilty to stealing it, and was sentenced to just eight months in prison. But a few days after his trial, Dorothy Hoobler says, World War I broke out. Suddenly, the drama of an art heist was off the front pages.

Made by Leonardo da Vinci, the most famous painter of his time, around 1503, the painting was commissioned by a rich Italian merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, who wanted to place a portrait of his wife, Lisa, in their new home.

The reason the researchers say the famous painting's smile is off? Asymmetry. “Our results indicate that happiness is expressed only on the left side,” said the authors of the paper.

It is considered high art as it is a part of the fine arts and is highly valued which were exposed mostly to the upper classmen and the elites. Mona was a wife of a merchant which represented wealth and class.

A controversial museum funded by an eccentric millionaire, featuring a poo machine and the chocolate-coated entrails of a suicide bomber, has bolstered tourism in Tasmania, much to critics' dismay. The plaza and mirrored entrance of the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, Australia.

Why is Mona Lisa not smiling in the painting? ›

It is believed, however, that the Mona Lisa does not smile; she wears an expression common to people who have lost their front teeth. A closeup of the lip area shows a scar that is not unlike that left by the application of blunt force.

READ MORE: The Heist that Made the Mona Lisa Famous

Investigators and detectives searched for the painting for more than two years without finding any decent leads.

Mona Lisa sat for Leonardo to paint her, but she wouldn't smile during the sitting. Not all the way. The story goes that da Vinci wanted her to smile wider, but she refused. She did not want the joy she felt for her new baby to erase the pain she felt from losing [one prior]. There in her half smile is her half joy.

Subject Matter. The Last Supper painting is a snapshot of the moment Christ tells his Apostles that one of them will betray him; “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me,” (Gospel of John 13:21). The painting depicts each apostle reacting in his own unique way.

Indeed, the Mona Lisa is a very realistic portrait. The subject's softly sculptural face shows Leonardo's skillful handling of sfumato, an artistic technique that uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to model form, and shows his understanding of the skull beneath the skin.

Those averse to ambiguity and soured by sadness will be happy to know that the study determined that the figure in Leonardo da Vinci's 16th-century portrait “La Gioconda” is happy.

According to a recent study by the University of Freiburg, though, the answer to whether she is “sad” or “happy” is simple: her expression is unequivocally “happy”.

Controversies surrounding biblical interpretations of the Last Supper include its connection to present-day Mass and its relationship to Passover. Controversies surrounding the Da Vinci painting include the painting's restoration and the presence of Mary Magdalene.

It also says that a letter 'glaring in the centre of the painting' (M) stood for Matrimonio or Mary Magdalene. However, art historians claim that the figure is Apostle John. Another hidden message is that the painting contains several possible numerical references, including the number three.

Mathematical Symbolism

The painting contains a number of allusions to the number 3, (perhaps symbolizing the Holy Trinity). The disciples are seated in groups of three; there are three windows, while the figure of Jesus is given a triangular shape, marked by his head and two outstretched arms.