Leonardo Da Vinci wasn’t only known to be a great artist but he was also a scientist. His main interests included painting, science, architecture, mathematics and the list goes on and on. He was a man of many talents. One of his greatest works was the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is the most viewed, most read about and even most sung to painting. As a young kid growing up, hearing a lot about the painting, I didn’t understand the significance or the importance of this painting. Today, the Mona Lisa painting is worth $820 million.
The first thing I want to talk about in this painting is her posture. Having Mona Lisa sitting upright shows harmony and unity. Leonardo’s creativity and thoughts of perspectives give this picture significant depth. The crossed arms of Mona Lisa and the fact that her right hand rests over her left hand gives her viewers that connotation of that harmony and unity spoken of earlier. The harmony and unity that we as all humans aspire. As we focus more on the small details of the painting, Mona Lisa appears to not have eyebrows or eyelashes. Researchers claim that it was common at this time for women to pluck these hairs, as they were considered unsightly. Thinking about the era we live in now, it would have been the complete opposite. However, it has also been said that the results of the Mona Lisa not having eyebrows could have simply been the colors used had blended into one another or removed when the painting was being cleaned. The smile of Mona Lisa really gives off the impression that she’s almost had enough. Is it a smile, or is it a blurry figment of our imagination.
In the background behind her you can see a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains, also there are winding paths. It almost seems as if there have been people there. The light of the picture brings our attention to her most beautiful face. Her face is also a focal point of the painting. It appears that she has a bright life or she has overcome something. Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius in how he used colors that wouldn’t necessarily draw more attention. I thought the colors chosen were bland colors, however, in the painting things still stood out and the colors were transparent and it sort of compliment each other in a significant way.
The Mona Lisa is definitely one of Leonardo’s greatest contributions to art and one of great mystery. Viewers have questioned the mystery of many facets of the Mona Lisa such as her puzzling smile. You can’t really tell if she is happy or if she is hiding behind that half smile. Also, the facial expression or her gaze along with her slightly turned body as if it’s not even her body. These mysteries or questions, have viewers wondering if the picture is really real.
The Northern and Southern renaissance are very different in visual and significant ways. Northern Renaissance focuses on religious teaching while Southern focused on Greek and Roman mythology. Leonardo Da Vinci was a Northern Renaissance artist, he focused on surface detail and naturalism. They also were known for their style of using oil on their panel painting which Mona Lisa was an oil painting.
All in all, Leonardo Da Vinci was a genuine and true man of many talents. He will always be well known for his one of a kind artwork. Even though his work is in the past, he still will be famous for what he has done to change the way we view art today. Leonardo paved a way for all artist to be creative and to really show their love for their work and will never be forgotten.