The Mona Lisa
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The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci |
The Mona Lisa is an iconic work of art that was created by the Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is recognized by many to this day with its brilliant elements of art. Long believed to have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci in Florence during the 1500s. One of Leonardo's early biographers has mentioned that the portrait details Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo who was a successful silk and wool merchant. The artwork is an extraordinary example of the use of the art element humanism, that greatly defined Renaissance pieces. With an intense focus on the human being that draws the attention of any viewers following a background full of nature. Emotions of happiness and enlightenment can be depicted from the Mona Lisa with the smirk of the lady detailed in the painting. You can see Leonardo's amazing use of contrast to really draw out details of the portrait. The element of color shading is also very aesthetic when you look at the Mona Lisa, as you can see the colors transform from cool colors towards the top of the portrait too much warmer colors as it tapers to the bottom of the portrait. I personally would love to own a copy of such an iconic work of art for my own household decor.
Humanism and the Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is a prime example of humanism being emphasized in Renaissance artwork, as the central focus of the work is the lady in the portrait as a "human being". Leonardo da Vinci reflects basic humanism philosophy by reflecting on the value of human emotions and life within the painting. It shows the basic human emotion of happiness, which is shown in the ladies' smirk and smile. The aspect of peacefulness in human life is also shown by how peacefully the woman is sitting. With all of Leonardo's artistic ability he greatly details her humanistic features further drawing attention from viewers to her.
“Leonardo Da Vinci.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/artist/leonardo-da-vinci.
Broomhall, Susan, and Charles Green. “What's so Special about the Mona Lisa?” The Conversation, 9 Feb. 2021, theconversation.com/whats-so-special-about-the-mona-lisa-117180.
Although this is one of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous works, I never really know the background information of the piece, and I found your post very informative. This artwork truly embodies the characteristics of humanism, as it focuses on the value of emotions and life through an actual human being, with the addition of a naturalistic background. Furthermore, the detailing of her characteristic makes the painting provides such realism to the work, where we can view the her peaceful atmosphere simply from her body and facial expression.
ReplyDeleteDylan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your interpretation on the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. This is by far one of the most iconic pieces from the Renaissance era. I agree that this painting shows "basic human emotion" and life that depicts humanism. The focus is that of her physical beauty, even though the background is quite bust your eyes are drawn to her face. I feel that Leonardo Da Vinci used chiaroscuro quite well in this painting. It is as if the light is not directly on her face where you see the darker grayish tones as well in her hands. It truly gives that three dimensional illusion rather than a basic flat painting. I love a contoured appearance in paintings and Leonardo truly captured Mona Lisa's cheek bones and bone structure beautifully. I love how dark everything is in contrast with her face which really brings it to full attention.
http://studiochalkboard.evansville.edu/s-chiaro.html