Mona Lisa (Italian: La Gioconda, French:La Joconde)

Leonardo da Vinci, c. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer 1503–1506

Oil on poplar

77 × 53 cm, 30 × 21 in

Musée du Louvre, Paris

Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo Da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. Oil painting is the process of painting with Pigments that are bound with a medium of Drying oil — especially in early modern Europe Linseed oil The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city See Portrait for more about the general topic of portraits Portrait painting is a genre in Painting, where the intent is to Oil painting is the process of painting with Pigments that are bound with a medium of Drying oil — especially in early modern Europe Linseed oil Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. A panel painting is a Painting on a panel made of wood either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th The work is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Lisa del Giocondo (June 15 1479 &ndash July 15 1542 or c 1551 born and also known as Lisa Gherardini, Lisa di Antonio Maria (Antonmaria Gherardini, ^[1]

The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic. ^[2][3] The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination. ^[1] Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. ^[4]

Historical context

Main article: Leonardo da Vinci

Self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Executed in red chalk sometime between 1512 and 1515

Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 (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 it 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. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 Clos Lucé is a mansion in Amboise, France, located 500 metres from the Royal Château d'Amboise, to which it is connected by an underground passageway The royal Château at Amboise is a Château located in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley Most likely through the heirs of Leonardo's assistant Salai,^[7] the king bought the painting for 4,000 écus and kept it at Fontainebleau, where it remained until given to Louis XIV. This article is about the medieval and early modern French currency not the European Currency Unit (ECU or an Electronic control unit (ECU The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 345 miles from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal Châteaux The palace as it is today is the work of many Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal Château in Versailles, in France 's Île-de-France region After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Napoleon I had it moved to his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace; later it was returned to the Louvre. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. The Palais des Tuileries was a royal Palace in Paris. It stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) it was moved from the Louvre to a hiding place elsewhere in France. The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871

Mona Lisa 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. Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century Art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts 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. Walter Horatio Pater ( August 4 1839 - July 30 1894) was an English Essayist and art and Literary critic. "

Subject and title

Main article: Lisa del Giocondo

Mona Lisa is named for Lisa del Giocondo,^[8][9][10] a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Lisa del Giocondo (June 15 1479 &ndash July 15 1542 or c 1551 born and also known as Lisa Gherardini, Lisa di Antonio Maria (Antonmaria Gherardini, Lisa del Giocondo (June 15 1479 &ndash July 15 1542 or c 1551 born and also known as Lisa Gherardini, Lisa di Antonio Maria (Antonmaria Gherardini, Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 ^[7] The painting was commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. ^[11]

The sitter's identity was ascertained at the University of Heidelberg in 2005 by a library expert who discovered a 1503 margin note written by Agostino Vespucci. The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg ( University of Heidelberg, Ruperto Carola, Heidelberg University, or simply Heidelberg) is a ^[8] Scholars had been of many minds, identifying at least four different paintings as the Mona Lisa^[12][13][14] and several people as its subject. Isabella of Naples or Aragon,^[15] Cecilia Gallerani,^[16] Costanza d'Avalos—who was also called the "merry one" or La Gioconda,^[14] Isabella d'Este, Pacifica Brandano or Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, Caterina Sforza, Leonardo's mother Caterina, and Leonardo himself had all been named the sitter. (Not to be confused with Isabella of Aragon, Queen of France Isabella di Aragona ( October 2 1470 &ndash February Cecilia Gallerani (1473 &ndash 1536 was one of the mistresses of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. Isabella d'Este ( 18 May 1474 &ndash 13 February 1539) was marchesa of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Caterina Sforza (1463 &ndash May 10, 1509) countess of Forlì, was an illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Lucrecia Landriani ^[17][6] Today the subject's identity is held with certainty to be Lisa, which was always the traditional view. ^[8]

A margin note by Agostino Vespucci from October 1503 in a book in the library of the University of Heidelberg identifies Lisa del Giocondo as the subject of Mona Lisa

The painting's title stems from a description by Giorgio Vasari in his biography of Leonardo da Vinci published in 1550, 31 years after the artist's death. The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg ( University of Heidelberg, Ruperto Carola, Heidelberg University, or simply Heidelberg) is a Giorgio Vasari ( 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian painter and Architect, who is today famous "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife. . . . "^[5] (one version in Italian: Prese Lionardo a fare per Francesco del Giocondo il ritratto di mona Lisa sua moglie). Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. ^[18] In Italian, ma donna means my lady. A Lady is a Woman who is the counterpart of a Lord, as opposed to lady, the counterpart of a Gentleman. This became madonna, and its contraction mona. Images of the Madonna and Madonna and Child are one of the central Icons of Christianity, representing the Madonna or Mary mother of Jesus Mona is thus a polite form of address, similar to Ma’am, 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. The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all

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][19] In French, the title La Joconde has the same double meaning.

Aesthetics

Detail of the background (right side)

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 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 widespread 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 the viewer.

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. Baldasare Castiglione, count of Novellata ( December 15, 1478 &ndash February 28, 1529) was an Italian Courtier, Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and

Detail of Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left hand. Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife. ^[20]

The painting was among 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. Loggia is the name given to an Architectural feature originally of Italian design which is often a gallery or Corridor generally on the ground 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. Sfumato is the Italian term for a Painting technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create perceptions of depth volume and form 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 landscape it is arguable whether Mona Lisa should be considered as a traditional portrait, for it represents an ideal rather 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 a link connecting humanity and nature.

Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair—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. ^[21][22] For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face.

Conservation

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. "^[23] This is partly due to the result of a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone. A detailed analysis in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint. "^[23] 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. Varnish is a transparent, hard protective finish or film primarily used in Wood finishing but also for other materials Despite the 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. ^[23]

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. X-radiation (composed of X-rays) is a form of Electromagnetic radiation.

Poplar panel

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.

At some point in its history, the Mona Lisa was removed from its original frame. The unconstrained poplar panel was allowed to warp freely with changes in humidity, and as a result, a crack began to develop near the top of the panel. The crack extends down to the hairline of the figure. In the mid 18th to early 19th century, someone attempted to stabilize the crack by inlaying two butterfly shaped walnut braces into the back of the panel to a depth of about 1/3 the thickness of the panel. This work was skillfully executed, and has successfully stabilized the crack. Sometime between 1888 and 1905, or perhaps at some point during the picture's theft, the upper brace fell out. A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth. The flexible oak frame (added 1951) and crossbraces (1970) help to keep the panel from warping further. A butterfly brace prevents the panel from further cracking.

The picture is currently kept under strict, climate controlled conditions in its bullet-proof glass case. The humidity is maintained at 50% ±10%, and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21°C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity, the case is supplemented with a bed of silica gel treated to provide 55% relative humidity. Silica gel is a granular porous form of Silica made synthetically from Sodium silicate. ^[23]

Frame

Because the Mona Lisa's poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the picture has experienced some warping. In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during World War II, and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honor the anniversary of Da Vinci's 500th birthday, the Mona Lisa was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces. This flexible frame, which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below, exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further. In 1970, the beech crosspieces were switched to maple after it was found that the beech wood had been infested with insects. In 2004-05, a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with sycamore ones, and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel's warp. The Mona Lisa has had many different decorative frames in its history, owing to changes in taste over the centuries. In 1906, the picture was given its current frame by the countess of Béarn, a Renaissance frame consistent with the historical period of the Mona Lisa. The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames, but none of the original paint layer has been trimmed. ^[23]

Cleaning and touch-up

Museum visitors viewing the Mona Lisa through security glass (prior to 2005 move)

The first and most extensive recorded cleaning, revarnishing, and touch up of the Mona Lisa was an 1809 wash and re-varnish undertaken by Jean-Marie Hooghstoel, who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the Musée Napoléon. The work involved cleaning with spirits, touch up of color, and revarnishing the painting. In 1906, Louvre restorer Eugène Denizard performed watercolor retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel. Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish, to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame. In 1913, when the painting was recovered after its theft, Denizard was again called upon to work on the Mona Lisa. Denizard was directed to clean the picture without solvent, and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with watercolor. A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid liquid or gaseous Solute, resulting in a Solution. In 1952, the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out. After the second 1956 attack, restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage to Mona Lisa's left elbow with watercolor. ^[23]

In 1977, a new insect infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping. This was treated on the spot with carbon tetrachloride, and later with an ethylene oxide treatment. Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (see Table is the Organic compound with the formula CCl4 In 1985, the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure. ^[23]

Infrared scan

In 2004 experts from the National Research Council of Canada conducted a three-dimensional infrared scan. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of Because of the aging of the varnish on the painting it is difficult to discern details. Data from the scan and infrared were used by Bruno Mottin of the French Museums' "Center for Research and Restoration" to argue that the transparent gauze veil worn by the sitter is a guarnello, typically used by women while pregnant or just after giving birth. A similar guarnello was painted by Sandro Botticelli in his Portrait of Smeralda Brandini (1470), depicting a pregnant woman (on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London). The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design housing a permanent collection Furthermore, this reflectography revealed that Mona Lisa's hair is not loosely hanging down, but seems attached at the back of the head to a bonnet or pinned back into a chignon and covered with a veil, bordered with a sombre rolled hem. A chignon, pronounced "sheen-yon” is a popular type of bun style In the 16th century, hair hanging loosely down on the shoulders was the customary style of unmarried young women or prostitutes. This apparent contradiction with her status as a married woman has now been resolved.

Researchers also used the data to reveal details about the technique used and to predict that the painting will degrade very little if current conservation techniques are continued. ^[24][25] During 2006, Mona Lisa underwent a major scientific observation that proved through infrared cameras she was originally wearing a bonnet and clenching her chair (something that Leonardo decided to change as an afterthought). ^[26]

Display

On April 6, 2005—following a period of curatorial maintenance, recording, and analysis—the painting was moved to a new location within the museum's Salle des États. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It is displayed in a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bullet proof glass. ^[27] About 6 million people view the painting at the Louvre each year. ^[6]

Theft and vandalism

Vacant wall in the Salle Carré, Louvre

The Mona Lisa painting now hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France The painting's increasing fame was further emphasized when it was stolen on August 21, 1911. Art theft is the Theft of Art. This is usually done for the purpose of resale or Ransom; occasionally thieves are also commissioned Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The next day, Louis Béroud, a painter, walked into the Louvre and went to the Salon Carré where the Mona Lisa had been on display for five years. However, where the Mona Lisa should have stood, he found four iron pegs. Béroud contacted the section head of the guards, who thought the painting was being photographed for marketing purposes. A few hours later, Béroud checked back with the section head of the museum, and it was confirmed that the Mona Lisa was not with the photographers. The Louvre was closed for an entire week to aid in investigation of the theft.

French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who had once called for the Louvre to be "burnt down," came under suspicion; he was arrested and put in jail. Guillaume Apollinaire (in French ɡijom apɔliˈnɛʁ ( August 26, 1880 &ndash November 9, 1918) was a French Poet The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France Apollinaire tried to implicate his friend Pablo Picasso, who was also brought in for questioning, but both were later exonerated. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 ^[28]

At the time, the painting was believed to be lost forever, and it would be two years before the real thief was discovered. Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia stole it 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. Vincenzo Peruggia ( October 8, 1881, Dumenza, Italy - 1925 Haute-Savoie, France) is the man who once stole the ^[19] Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed Leonardo's painting should be returned to Italy for display in an Italian museum. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Peruggia may have also been motivated by a friend who sold copies of the painting, which would skyrocket in value after the theft of the original. After having kept the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence; it was exhibited all over Italy and returned to the Louvre in 1913. The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi one of the oldest and most famous Art Museums in the world is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Peruggia was hailed for his patriotism in Italy and only served a few months in jail for the crime. ^[28]

During World War II, the painting was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely, first to Château d'Amboise, then to the Loc-Dieu Abbey and finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The royal Château at Amboise is a Château located in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley Loc-Dieu Abbey is a Cistercian Abbey located near Martiel, 9 km west from Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in the department of Aveyron The Musée Ingres (Ingres Museum is located in Montauban, France. Montauban ( Montalban in Occitan) is a town and commune of southwestern France, Préfecture (capital of the Tarn-et-Garonne In 1956, the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when a vandal doused the painting with acid. ^[29] On December 30 of that same year, Ugo Ungaza Villegas, a young Bolivian, damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. This resulted in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later painted over. The painting is now covered with bulletproof security glass.

Fame

Historian Donald Sassoon cataloged the growth of the painting's fame. During the mid-1800s, Théophile Gautier and the Romantic poets were able to write about Mona Lisa as a femme fatale because Lisa was an ordinary person. See also Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( August 30, 1811 – October 23, 1872) was a French Poet, Dramatist Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the A femme fatale (plural femmes fatales) is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire often leading them into Mona Lisa ". . . was an open text into which one could read what one wanted; probably because she was not a religious image; and, probably, because the literary gazers were mainly men who subjected her to an endless stream of male fantasies. " During the 20th century, the painting was stolen, an object for mass reproduction, merchandising, lampooning and speculation, and was reproduced in "300 paintings and 2,000 advertisements". ^[30] The subject was described as deaf, in mourning,^[31] toothless, a "highly-paid tart", various people's lover, a reflection of the artist's neuroses, and a victim of syphilis, infection, paralysis, palsy, cholesterol or a toothache. ^[30] Scholarly as well as amateur speculation assigned Lisa's name to at least four different paintings^[12][31][14] and the sitter's identity to at least ten different people. ^{[15][16][17][32]}

Crowd in front of Mona Lisa at the Louvre. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France Visitors generally spend about 15 seconds viewing the Mona Lisa. ^[33]

Until the 20th century, Mona Lisa was one among many and certainly not the "most famous painting"^[34] in the world as it is termed today. Among works in the Louvre, in 1852 its market value was 90,000 francs compared to works by Raphael valued at up to 600,000 francs. In 1878, the Baedeker guide called it "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre". Verlag Karl Baedeker is a Germany -based Publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide Travel guides The guides often Between 1851 and 1880, artists who visited the Louvre copied Mona Lisa roughly half as many times as certain works by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Antonio da Correggio, Paolo Veronese, Titian, Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Pierre Paul Prud'hon. This article is about the painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo There is also an article on the Canadian village Murillo Ontario, which was named after the artist due to Paolo Veronese (1528 – April 19 1588 was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c 1485 &ndash August 27 1576 better known as Titian, was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian Pierre-Paul Prud'hon ( April 4 1758 - February 16 1823) was a French Romantic painter and draughtsman best known ^[30]

Prior to the 1962–1963 tour, the painting was assessed for insurance purposes at $100 million. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this makes the Mona Lisa the most valuable painting ever insured. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U As an expensive painting, it has only recently been surpassed (in terms of actual dollar price) by three other paintings, the Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt, which was sold for $135 million (£73 million), the Woman III by Willem de Kooning sold for $137. This is a list of the highest prices paid for Paintings Very valuable paintings if sold are usually sold at Auctions. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a Painting by Gustav Klimt completed in 1907 Gustav Klimt (July 14 1862 – February 6 1918 was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau Willem de Kooning (April 24 1904 – March 19 1997 was an Abstract expressionist painter born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands 5 million in November of 2006, and most recently No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock sold for a record $140 million on November 2, 2006. No 5 1948 is an abstract Painting by Jackson Pollock ( January 28, 1912 &ndash August 11, 1956 Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28 1912 &ndash August 11 1956 was an influential American painter and a major force in the abstract expressionist movement Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Although these figures are greater than that which the Mona Lisa was insured for, the comparison does not account for the change in prices due to inflation -- $100 million in 1962 is approximately $670 million in 2006 when adjusted for inflation using the US Consumer Price Index. ^[35]

Speculation about the painting

Main article: Speculation about Mona Lisa

Although the sitter has traditionally been identified as Lisa de Giocondo, a lack of definitive evidence had long fueled alternative theories, including the possibility that Leonardo used his own likeness. Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde is a 16th-century portrait painted in oil on a Poplar panel by Leonardo Lisa del Giocondo (June 15 1479 &ndash July 15 1542 or c 1551 born and also known as Lisa Gherardini, Lisa di Antonio Maria (Antonmaria Gherardini, However, on January 14, 2008, German academics of Heidelberg University made public a finding that corroborates the traditional identification: dated notes scribbled into the margins of a book by its owner on October 1503 established Lisa de Giocondo as the model for the painting. Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg ( University of Heidelberg, Ruperto Carola, Heidelberg University, or simply Heidelberg) is a ^[36]

Other aspects of the painting that have been subject to speculation are the original size of the painting, whether there were other versions of it, and various explanations for how the effect of an enigmatic smile was achieved.

In a National Geographic presentation titled "Testing The Mona Lisa" it was deduced, after rigorous assessment, that the figure depicted in the painting might be maternal, or pregnant. It was found, after extensive infrared reflectography, that Lisa herself had a haze around her clothing indictative of a guarnello, the attire worn by pregnant women. Another theory proposed by various health professionals was that Leonardo's representation of her hands as slightly 'large' was further indicative of Lisa's pregnancy. Conversely, as many scholars or persons suggest, this representation is merely a stylistic concept of beauty exemplified by numerous Renaissance painters, including Leonardo himself.

Legacy

L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp, 1919

The avant-garde art world has also taken note of the undeniable fact of the Mona Lisa's popularity. Marcel Duchamp (maʀsɛl dyˈʃɑ̃ (28 July 1887 &ndash 2 October 1968 was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist Avant-garde (avɑ̃gaʁd in French) means "advance guard" or "vanguard Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, Dadaists and Surrealists often produce modifications and caricatures. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members A caricature is either a Portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness or in literature a description In 1919, Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential Dadaists, made a Mona Lisa parody by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and a goatee, as well as adding the rude inscription L. Marcel Duchamp (maʀsɛl dyˈʃɑ̃ (28 July 1887 &ndash 2 October 1968 was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject H. O. O. Q. , when read out loud in French sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" (translating to "she has a hot ass" as a manner of implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and availability). French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people This was intended as a Freudian joke, referring to Leonardo's alleged homosexuality. According to Rhonda R. Shearer, the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp's own face. ^[37] Salvador Dalí, famous for his pioneering surrealist work, painted Self portrait as Mona Lisa in 1954. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist

In 1963 Andy Warhol created serigraph prints of the Mona Lisa, in an effort to reduce her gravity to that of a disposable modern icon; to a similar cultural stature of the modern celebrities Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley. For the song by David Bowie, see Andy Warhol (song. Andrew Warhola (August 6 1928 &ndash February 22 1987 known as Andy Warhol Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson, June 1 1926 &ndash August 5 1962 baptized Norma A later reproduction of the Mona Lisa was discovered painted onto a hillside near Newport, Oregon on August 15, 2006. Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was created by artist Samuel Clemens using a tarp stencil and water-based paint. ^[38] The painting has also been parodied by street artists such as Banksy, Anthony Lister and Dolk. Banksy is a well-known pseudo-anonymous British Graffiti Artist. Anthony Lister (1980 – present is an Australian -born painter and Installation Artist.

Notes

References

• Bartz, Gabriele (2006), Louvre, Art and Architecture, 3C Publishing, ISBN 3-8331-1943-8, <http://books.google.com/books?id=4-8AAAAACAAJ> 
• Farago, Claire J. (1999), Leonardo's Projects, C. 1500-1519, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 0815329350, <http://books.google.com/books?id=1mCBiu2yFUgC> 
• Kemp, Martin (2006), Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature And Man, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-1928-0725-0, <http://books.google.com/books?id=dn6XKgAACAAJ> 
• Littlefield, Walter (1914), The Two "Mona Lisas", University of Michigan, <http://books.google.com/books?id=ux0MAAAAMAAJ> 
• Turudich, Daniela (2003), Plucked, Shaved & Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600, Streamline Press, ISBN 193006408X, <http://books.google.com/books?id=5vMJAAAACAAJ> 
• Vasari, Giorgio (1879), Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori, vol. Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom which publishes books and academic journals The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research 4, Florence: G. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany C. Sansoni, <http://books.google.com/books?id=EroFAAAAQAAJ> 
• Wilson, Colin (2000), The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved, Carroll & Graf Publishers, ISBN 0-7867-0793-3, <http://books.google.com/books?id=Mf7ujOGDzZ8C> 

External links

• "Why is Mona Lisa so famous?", a video commentary
• Mega Mona Lisa, a large Mona Lisa fan site
• Theft of the Mon a Lisa, from the PBS website for Treasures Of The World
• Aging Mona Lisa worries Louvre, an April 2004 BBC article
• The Mona Lisa BBC article
• Leonardo da Vinci, Gallery of Paintings and Drawings
• Unmasking the Mona Lisa: Expert claims to have discovered da Vinci's technique
• Who is Mona Lisa? Historical Facts versus Conjectures
• Mona Lisa's voice simulated
• "Mona Lisa had a makeover, 3D images reveal", Cosmos magazine, September 2006
• Mona Lisa replicated in later art