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| Mona Lisa, Through Bulletproof Glass Photo by Madeline Cox |
Why does the Mona Lisa enthrall hundreds of thousands of
visitors each year? Is it her sly smile? Or the genius that is the work of the
great Leonardo da Vinci?
Without a doubt the Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, painted in 1503-1505, is the most famous, or infamous
pieces of art in the world. The subject’s facial expression alone has brought about a source
of debate for centuries, as her face remains largely enigmatic in the portrait.
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| Madeline Cox |
Irrevocably the Mona Lisa revolutionized the painting
world, the pose itself breaking with tradition. Unlike many other artists
Leonardo extended the view of the sitter down, painting her arms and folded
hands. The Mona Lisa exhibits Leonardo’s ability to create not only a deep
sense of space but also a harmonious geometric composition. The gradual
transitions from light to dark or sfumato,
exhibited not only in the flesh tones of the figure but in the surrounding
landscape is a technique that was often employed by Leonardo. Originally, the
painting was wider with architectural elements such as a balcony and side
columns that served to give
a sense of space to the piece and the overall atmospheric composition. In
short, Leonardo displayed in this work a mastery of
technique that was unknown at the time, deeply impressed his contemporaries,
and has seldom been equaled since.
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