For decades, historians, art historians, journalists, and simply interested people have been arguing about the riddles of Mona Lisa. What is the secret of her smile? Who is actually captured in the portrait of Leonardo? More than 8 million visitors come to the Louvre annually, wishing to admire its creation.
So how did this modestly dressed woman with a slight, subtle smile take pride of place on the podium among the legendary creations of other great artists?
Deserved Glory
To begin with, let's forget that Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is a brilliant work of the artist. What do we see in front of us? An elderly, modestly dressed woman is looking at us with a barely noticeable smile on her face. She is not beautiful, but something in her captivates her eyes. Glory is an amazing phenomenon. A mediocre picture will not help to promote any advertising, and the "Mona Lisa" - a visiting card of the famous Florentine, known throughout the world.
The quality of the painting is impressive; in it at the highest level all the achievements of the Renaissance are brought together. Here the landscape is subtly combined with the portrait, the gaze is directed at the viewer, the well-known posture “countertop”, the pyramidal composition ... The technique itself is admirable: each of the thinnest layers was superimposed on the other only after the previous one dries. By using the “sphumato” Leonardo achieved a melting image of objects, he conveyed the outlines of air with his brush, and resurrected the play of light and shadow. This is the main value of the creation of da Vinci "Mona Lisa."
Universal recognition
It was the artists who were the first fans of the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. 16th century painting is literally filled with traces of the influence of Mona Lisa. Take, for example, the great Raphael: he seemed to fall ill with a painting by Leonardo, the features of the Mona Lisa can be seen in the portrait of the Florentine, in “The Lady with the Unicorn,” and what is most surprising, even in the male portrait of Baldasar Castiglione. Leonardo, without suspecting it, created a visual aid for his followers, who discovered a lot of new things in painting, taking as a basis the portrait of “Mona Lisa”.
Giorgio Vasari, an artist and art historian, was the first to translate the fame of the "Mona Lisa" into a word. In his "Biography of Famous Painters ..." he called the portrait rather divine than human, in addition, he gave such an assessment, never once seeing the picture live. The author only expressed universal opinion, thus providing Gioconda with a high reputation among professional circles.
Who posed for the portrait?
The only confirmation of how the portrait was created are the words of Giorgio Vasavi, who claims that the wife of Francesco Giocondo, a Florentine tycoon, 25-year-old Mona Lisa, is depicted in the picture. He says that while da Vinci painted a portrait, around the girl they constantly played the lyre and sang, and the court jesters maintained a good mood, which is why Mona Lisa’s smile is so tender and pleasant.
But there is considerable evidence that Giorgio was mistaken. Firstly, the mourning widow’s veil covers the girl’s head, and Francesco Giocondo lived a long life. Secondly, why didn’t Leonardo give the portrait to the customer?
It is known that the artist did not part with the portrait until his death, although he was offered a lot of money at the time. In 1925, art critics suggested that the portrait belongs to the mistress of Giuliano Medici - the widow of Constantius d'Avalos. Later, Carlo Pedretti put forward another option: it could be Pacifika Bandano, another Pedretti's lover. She was the widow of a Spanish nobleman, was well educated, had a cheerful disposition and adorned any company with her presence.
Who is the real Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci? Opinions differ. Perhaps this is Mona Lisa Gerardini, and perhaps Isabella Gualando, Philibert of Savoy or Pachifika Brandano ... How to know?
From king to king, from kingdom to kingdom
The most serious collectors of the XVI century were the kings, it was their attention that needed to be won by the work in order to break out of the close circle of respect among artists. The first place where the portrait of Mona Lisa was noticed was the bathhouse of King Francis I. The monarch did not place the picture there because of disrespect or ignorance of what brilliant creation he got, on the contrary, it was the bathhouse in Fontainebleau that was the most important place in the French kingdom. There the king rested, had fun with his mistresses, received ambassadors.
After Fontainebleau, the painting “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci visited the walls of the Louvre, Versailles, Tuileries, two centuries she traveled from palace to palace. The Mona Lisa darkened greatly, due to multiple not entirely successful restorations, her eyebrows and two columns behind her disappeared. If it was possible to describe in words everything that Mona Lisa saw outside the walls of French palaces, then the works of Alexander Dumas would seem like dry and boring textbooks.
Have you forgotten about the Gioconda?
In the 18th century, luck turned its back on the legendary painting. “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci simply did not fit into the parameters of the beauties of classicism and the frivolous Rococo shepherds. At first she was transferred to the ministerial rooms, gradually she sank lower and lower in the court hierarchy until she was in one of the darkest corners of Versailles, where she could only be seen by cleaners and petty officials. The painting did not fall into the collection of the best paintings of the French king, presented to the public in 1750.
The situation was changed by the French Revolution. The picture, along with others, was confiscated from the king's collection for the first museum in the Louvre. It turned out that, unlike kings, artists did not disappoint for a minute in the work of Leonardo. Fragonard, a member of the Commission of the Convention, was able to adequately evaluate the painting and included it in the list of the most valuable works of the museum. After that, the picture was able to admire not only the kings and court officials, but also everyone in the best museum in the world.
Such different interpretations of Mona Lisa's smile
As you know, you can smile in different ways: seductive, caustic, sad, embarrassed or happy. But none of these definitions apply. One of the "experts" claims that the person depicted in the picture is pregnant, but smiles in an attempt to catch the movement of the fetus. Another assures that she smiles at Leonardo, her lover.
One of the famous versions says that the "Mona Lisa" ("Mona Lisa") is a self-portrait of Leonardo. Recently, with the help of a computer, the anatomical features of the faces of Gioconda and da Vinci were compared using the artist’s self-portrait, drawn in red pencil. It turned out that they match perfectly. It turns out that Mona Lisa is a female hypostasis of genius, and her smile is the smile of Leonardo himself.
Why does Mona Lisa's smile fade away, then reappear?
When we look at the portrait of the Mona Lisa, it seems to us that her smile is fickle: it fades away, then reappears. Why is this happening? The fact is that there is a central vision that focuses on details, and peripheral, not so distinct. Thus, it is worth focusing your eyes on the lips of the Mona Lisa - the smile disappears, but if you look into the eyes or try to completely cover your face - she smiles.
Today Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is in the Louvre. For an almost perfect security system, about $ 7 million was paid. It includes bulletproof glass, the latest alarm system and a specially designed program that supports the necessary microclimate inside. At the moment, the cost of painting insurance is $ 3 billion.