Mona Lisa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mona Lisa - Research Paper Example 71). The Mona Lisa has an allure that can’t be explained, its popularity to a level where almost anyone in the Western world will recognize the work. Furthermore, the image has become a part of pop art, its imagery of a serene woman with a slight smile gracing items from merchandise such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, and greeting cards. The work has been taken by other artists and re-imagined into their own conceptualization, the imagery a part of the public sphere, thus subject to being used to created post-modern commentary on the consumerist culture. The Mona Lisa is the most famous piece of art in the world, the skill with which it was rendered now secondary to the iconic impact that it has upon popular culture. The Mona Lisa was begun in 1503 and finished in 1506. The work represents all that was best within the discoveries that were made during the Renaissance in painting towards representing reality. The painting uses finely crafted perspective, with all lines converging to wards a singular point. The painting is an example of geometric scaling within a painting, the symmetry and harmony of the piece provided through the triangulation of the composition. Da Vinci used chiaroscuro techniques, the use of light and shadow, to model the curves and features of his subject. Dark undertones were used to create a foundation from which he used multiple layers of thin, semi-transparent glazes, a technique called sfumato. One of the most significant changes in the history of art is represented by the Mona Lisa as the movement was begun away from wall frescos and toward oil paintings that were done on an easel which changed the way in which painted art was most often formed (Strickland & Boswell, 1992, p. 34). It is possible that the piece represents the wife of Giocondo, a Florentine merchant (Strickland & Boswell, 1992, p. 34). However, both because Leonardo da Vinci was known to be a strikingly handsome man with fine features, and the similarities that exist in the basic structure of Mona Lisa’s face to his own, there is some speculation that this is a self-portrait with gender reversal, an examination of how he would look if he was a woman (Cremante & Pedretti, 2005, p. 248). The painting infamously seems to hold a secret, the slight, serene smile suggesting that something more is being shown than what is most obvious in the work. Therefore, the Mona Lisa, with its unclear subject and chaste, yet seductive mystery, is a work that has held the interest of the public since it was put on display in the Louvre and the world was introduced to her. The work is known as the most famous work of art in the world. According to Sassoon (2002), an Italian opinion poll conducted in February of 2000 asked the question â€Å"What do you think is the best known painting in the world?†. The overwhelming response at a rate of 85.8% was the Mona Lisa (p. 9). However, the reasons behind its popularity are hazy, an unclear path that is hard to fully determine. The rise of popularity in the 20th century might be due to the theft that occurred in 1911. The painting was missing for almost two years, thus creating a further mystery around the mythology of the work that is only enhanced by the mysterious look of the woman in the portrait. According to Strickland and Bosewell (1992), between 1911 and 1952, at least 61 recreations by other artists had come into existence, the iconic history of the painting then going fully commercial with the works of Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns making