Will he resemble the mysterious Mona Lisa? It is a painting but not a canvas. Da Vinci's famous masterpiece is painted on a poplar plank. Considering he was accustomed to painting larger works on wet plaster, a wood plank does not seem that outlandish. Canvas was available to artists since the 14th century, but many Renaissance masters preferred wood as a basis for their small artworks.
She has her own room in the Louvre Museum in Paris. A glass ceiling lets in natural light, a shatter-proof glass display case maintains a controlled temperature of 43 degrees F. Jackie Kennedy invited her to visit. Over the centuries, French officials have only rarely let the painting out of their sight. However, when first lady Jackie Kennedy asked if the painting could visit the U. A thief made her famous.
Although in the art world, the painting had always been an acknowledged masterpiece, it wasn't until it was stolen in the summer of that it would capture the attention of the general public. Newspapers spread the story of the crime worldwide. When the painting finally returned to the Louvre two years later, practically the whole world was cheering. Picasso was under suspicion for the theft. During the investigation, the gendarmes went so far as to question known art dissidents such as Pablo Picasso about the theft.
They briefly arrested poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who had once said the painting should be burned. That Leonardo painted such a work, and its date, were confirmed in when a scholar at Heidelberg University discovered a marginal note in a printing of a volume written by the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero. Dated October , the note was written by Leonardo's contemporary Agostino Vespucci. This note likens Leonardo to renowned Greek painter Apelles, who is mentioned in the text, and states that Leonardo was at that time working on a painting of Lisa del Giocondo.
In response to the announcement of the discovery of this document, Vincent Delieuvin, the Louvre representative, stated "Leonardo da Vinci was painting, in , the portrait of a Florentine lady by the name of Lisa del Giocondo. About this we are now certain. Unfortunately, we cannot be absolutely certain that this portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is the painting of the Louvre.
It is widely accepted that the portrait that he saw is the version of the Mona Lisa that is now hanging in the Louvre. The same painting had been on exhibit at the Yeovil Fine Arts Exhibition two years prior. It is housed in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts until Eyre, art historian and expert, writes a monograph on the painting, which is immediately published in London and New York. In this book, he documents that the painting was brought to Rome in and was examined by Leonardo experts. Most of them confirmed its attribution to Da Vinci.
She seems real to us — a very lifelike figure. Behind her we have a vast landscape which goes off into unknowable distances, and seems to continue on into a type of misty haze. The contrast between the woman and the background landscape is therefore quite remarkable, and it lends to the power of the painting. Overall, the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece in portrait painting which has stood the test of time and continues to inspire and amaze visitors to the Louvre from around the world.
It is within this context of history that the Mona Lisa truly shines forth as a work of genius which caused Vasari to lavish so much praise. You must be logged in to post a comment. This is a site for information and analysis of the world of the Italian Renaissance.
Text is original to this site ItalianRenaissance. Product links above are affiliate links. Leonardo begins painting the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne , which is finished ten years later.
Leonardo is appointed military engineer for Cesare Borgia and placed in charge of inspecting Borgia's fortresses in Romagna. Leonardo begins painting the Mona Lisa , which he will work on for four years according to Leonardo da Vinci's biographer, Giorgio Vasari. Raphael arrives in Florence and visits Leonardo's studio. Leonardo settles in Rome under the patronage of Giuliano de Medici.
Leonardo accepts the patronage of Francois I of France and moves into the manor house of Cloux near Amboise. He paints the only known authentic likeness of himself, inscribed by a later hand: "Leonardo da Vinci, portrait of himself as an old man. Leonardo dies at the age of sixty-seven at the manor of Cloux near Amboise.
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