who is mona lisa and why is that her painting talked about so much?

Question

what would have happened had she not smiled

Answer 1

Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo Da Vinci during the Renaissance in Italy. It is arguably the most famous painting in the world, and few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France[1] with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.[2] The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic.[3][4] It is considered by many to be Leonardo's magnum opus.

Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1502 (during the Italian Renaissance) and, according to Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, left it unfinished...."[5] He is thought to have continued to work on it for three years after he moved to France and to have finished shortly before he died in 1519.[6]

Leonardo took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King François I invited the painter to work at the Clos Lucé near the king's castle in Amboise. The King bought the painting for 4,000 écus and kept it at Fontainebleau, where it remained until moved by Louis XIV.

Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre. Napoleon I had it moved to his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace; later it was returned to the Louvre. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, it was moved from the Louvre to a hiding place elsewhere in France.

The painting was not well-known until the mid-19th century, when artists of the emerging Symbolist movement began to appreciate it, and associated it with their ideas about feminine mystique. Critic Walter Pater, in his 1867 essay on Leonardo, expressed this view by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave."

In Italian, ma donna from donna meaning woman became madonna, and its contraction mona. Mona is thus a polite form of address, similar to Madam or my lady in English. In modern Italian, the short form of madonna is usually spelled Monna, so the title is sometimes Monna Lisa, rarely in English and more commonly in Romance languages such as French and Italian.

At his death in 1525, Leonardo's assistant Salai owned the portrait named in his personal papers la Gioconda which had been bequeathed to him by the artist. Italian for jocund, happy or jovial, Gioconda was a nickname for the sitter, a pun on the feminine form of her married name Giocondo and her disposition.[7][1] In French, the title La Joconde has the same double meaning
Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that softly models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widely spread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between Mona Lisa and us. The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature. There is no indication of an intimate dialogue between the woman and the observer as is the case in the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (Louvre) painted by Raphael about ten years after Mona Lisa and undoubtedly influenced by Leonardo's portrait.
The painting was one of the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. The sensuous curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created through sfumato, are echoed in the undulating imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and the landscape it is arguable whether Mona Lisa should be considered as a portrait, for it represents rather an ideal than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting — especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile — reflects Leonardo's idea of the cosmic link connecting humanity and nature, making this painting an enduring record of Leonardo's vision and genius.

It is also notable that Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair at all - including eyebrows and eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck them off, since they were considered to be unsightly.[10][11]. For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face.

The painting has been restored numerous times; X-ray examinations have shown that there are three versions of the Mona Lisa hidden under the present one. The thin poplar backing is beginning to show signs of deterioration at a higher rate than previously thought, causing concern from museum curators about the future of the painting
The Mona Lisa has survived for more than 500 years, and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that "the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation."[12] This is partly due to the result of a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone in its history. A detailed analysis of the picture in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint."[12] Nevertheless, applications of varnish made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the 16th century, and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and re-varnish removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer, resulting in a washed-out appearance to the face of the figure. Despite these few unfortunate treatments, the Mona Lisa has been well cared for throughout its history, and the 2004-05 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work.[12]

Answer 2

Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo Da Vinci during the Renaissance in Italy. It is arguably the most famous painting in the world, and few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France[1] with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.[2] The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic.[3][4] It is considered by many to be Leonardo's magnum opus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa

Answer 3

In addition to the insightful comments so far, the Mona Lisa was a significant advance in portrait painting at the time.
All you have to do is look at portraits done before this work by other artists to see the obvious progression. This work shows a much more subtle technique in the the use of color and shading and composition than previous works.
It is simply a more sophistcated portrait than any done previously. So it is a landmark piece for this and other reasons argued here by others.

Answer 4

It was painted by a celebrated genius who didn't create a lot of paintings during his lifetime. Its style represented a paradigm shift in the genre of portraiture, and also introduced the idea of atmospheric perspective, wherein the background of the painting was actually pushed into the distance, in this case by the use of a blue-gray overglaze.

That's it, as far as why the painting is important historically. Believe me, it didn't take up a huge chunk of time in Art History class. As to why people come here at least five times a day asking about the Mona Lisa, I am going to put that down to Hollywood hype, bestseller bamboozling, and pop culture.

You see, because Leonardo was a genius among geniuses, people tend to want to load the poor man down with their own political agendas and psychological baggage. It is a way of affirming their own beliefs---"See? Leonardo was a genius, so HE WOULD HAVE AGREED WITH ME about _______!"

I think the man would be dumbfounded by the recent fuss over two of his paintings, amused by the motives attributed to him, and overall much more interested in our technology and medicine (much of which was based on his work) than in anything he ever painted.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
who is mona lisa and why is that her painting talked about so much?
what would have happened had she not smiled

Answer 6

Mona Lisa's painting is talked about because in the 16th century,in the Roman empire people were orthodox Christians,who only believed in worship of God,and to paint pictures only of Jesus ans Mary.Leonardo-di-Vinci,opposed the church and made a picture of a girl named Mona Lisa.

Answer 7

Mona lisa is a famous painting by leonardo da vinci. it is actually a painting of a bisexual human.That is the reason of her "mysterious smile".she is talked about so much because not everyone knows the reason of her smile....you should also read "Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown" to get more information on her...detailed description is very good.

Answer 8

i think it is the first time common woman had been celebrated in a painting other than kings and queens and it made people notice the painting also in olden days paintings smile was very rare

Answer 9

Who Is Monalisa