Two summers ago, I went to France with my mom and one of the
most memorable sites that we visited was the Louvre Museum in Paris. The museum is filled to the brim with world
famous art work and sculpture created throughout history. My most vivid memory our visit was when we
were literally swept up in a crowd of people racing to an upper level to see
the Mona Lisa. I remember being pushed
into the intensely crowded room where it is displayed behind a thick glass case,
along with dozens of tourists from all over the world; all trying to get a
glimpse of the painting. I was holding my
camera trying my best to get in close enough to take a picture. Once I finally was close enough, I suddenly
realized how small the Mona Lisa actually is and was transfixed by her after I snapped
a picture. The most astonishing aspect to
me was her eyes which never seemed to stop staring at me, even if I changed my
position in the room. The Mona Lisa is,
of course, astonishingly beautiful and it is one of the most famous paintings
in the world, but I wanted to learn more about why it attracts such enormous
interest.
The Mona Lisa is an oil painting by the famous Renaissance
painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer named Leonardo da
Vinci. It is thought to have been
painted around the years 1503 and 1506 and is one of a few portraits known by
da Vinci. The very small painting
depicts an unknown lady, although there are theories of who she is, wearing a
smile with a gentle landscape behind her including rivers and trees. The subtle yet intensely luminous light and shadows
demonstrated in this painting, both in the portrait and the landscape is
amazing, but it’s the slight smile and those forever staring eyes that
captivate most viewer’s attention. There
are numerous unsolved mysteries about this painting, which will likely never be
solved, including who she really is, who commissioned her to be painted, and
why Leonardo da Vinci kept the painting for years after he painted her.
At the very beginning of the year in my history class, we
learned about the Renaissance. One of
the key topics that we discussed were the many famous artists in this era and
the techniques that they used which defined them as Renaissance artists. Some of these techniques included humanism,
naturalism, perspective, the inclusion in their paintings of ancient Greek and
Roman architectural forms, and showcasing wealth and culture. The Renaissance painters and the techniques they
used, can be found in the Mona Lisa which connects my trip to what we studied
earlier in the year. The three that are
most clearly evident; humanism, naturalism, and perspective. There is humanism in this painting because the
woman depicted looks very natural through the use of delicate shadows; she’s
even smiling. She does not wear any
fancy jewelry or clothing which is odd because most Renaissance paintings
included such elements. This may suggest that, perhaps, she is not from royalty
or wealth. There is an element of
naturalism due to its setting which includes a serene landscape without any
architectural elements. Your eyes seem
to shift between the portrait and the distant landscape; it’s very mysterious. Learning about the history of the Renaissance
and the painters that lived during that time connected me right back to when I
travelled to France and saw the Mona Lisa.
My trip to France included many fun day trips and activities
including climbing the Eiffel Tower and visiting Versailles, but one of my most
unforgettable experiences was visiting the Louvre and seeing the Mona Lisa, up
close and personal. The Mona Lisa will
always be a mystery to unlock. Who do
you think she is and why do her eyes always seem to follow you?
Bibliography:
"Mona Lisa.”
http://lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/mona.html. 12/8/13.
The
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Mona Lisa."
Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Pictography:
12/9/13.
It was interesting to hear about this painting, and how it relates to what we learned in class. You even included the different aspects of Renaissance art that you could see in it. The museum seems like a great place to see the original paintings, and it was cool to understand your perspective on the painting and seeing it in real life instead of on a computer screen. Your trip sounds like it was really fun and you learned a lot.
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