The Famous And Mysterious "Mona Lisa"

The beginning of the sixteenth century is the most famous period of Italian art.It was the time of Michelangelo, Raphael,Correggio,Leonardo da Vinci and many others.
Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452-2 May, 1519) was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, poet and writer of the Italian renascentism.He is considered by many of us as a human archetype.In addition, he is the author of the world`s most famous painting, called Mona Lisa.Within Leonardo's own lifetime his fame was such that the King of France carried him away like a trophy.
Little is known about his early life, which has been the subject of historical conjecture by Vasari and others.Giorgio Vasari relates the life of this genious in his book named Vite.Leonardo was born in Vinci, Italia as the illegitimate son of a notary, Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, and a peasant girl. Little is known of his mother, but there is some evidence that Caterina may have been a slave from the Middle East.Raised by his father, the little genius was educated in the studio of a Florentine painter,named Verrocchio.In 1472, Leonardo was enrolled as a master in the Company of Painters; this indicates that his actual apprenticeship to Verrocchio had probably ended by this time.He also worked in Milan, Rome, Bologna and Venice, spending his final years in France at the home given him by King François I.We know this to be correct as the quote is from notes written by Leonardo's grandfather.
He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived.In addition to being just about the smartest person ever, Leonardo is reported to have been a strikingly handsome man with great strength and a fine singing voice.

Leonardo da Vinci - The Painter

His enormous fame rested on his achievements as a painter and on a handful of works.These paintings are famous for a variety of qualities which have been much imitated by students and discussed at great length by connoisseurs and critics.
Leonardo’s early works begin with the Baptism of Christ painted in conjunction with Verrocchio, in 1475.Two other paintings appear to date from his time at the workshop,both of which are Annunications.In 1481 da Vinci painted The Adoration of the Magi, a great unfinished masterpiece, in which also appear the landscape elements and personal drama. An another famous painting was The Last Supper, which was painted in 1495 in Milan; this painting represents the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples before his capture and death and it shows specifically the moment when Jesus has said “one of you will betray me”. In the Virgin and Child with St. Anne the composition again picks up the theme of figures in a landscape which Wasserman describes as "breathtakingly beautiful".The Self Portet is also a great paint signed Leonardo da Vinci, which was painted 4 years before he died.

The Most Famous Painting - "Mona Lisa"

One of Leonardo's greatest pieces of art was the Mona Lisa.He painted the Mona Lisa with her mysterious smile and his legendary interpretation of the Last Supper. He didn’t have a lot of paintings because it took him so long to paint a "great" painting; many painting remained unfinished, he was nevertheless an extraordinarily innovative and influential artist.One of these unfinished paintings is that of St. Jerome in the Wilderness.
Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda,the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, is a 16th-century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo Da Vinci.The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the history of art.It came to be considered the prototype of the Renaissance portrait.
The painting continues to inspire reproduction, parody, scientific theory, and more.There have been many theories written about Leonardo da Vinci and of his intentions painting the Mona Lisa.Da Vinci's most famous painting has been reproduced and reinvented more than any other artwork in the world.
The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic.The Mona Lisa's enigmatic expression, which seems both alluring and aloof, has given the portrait universal fame.
Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1502, then he took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King François I invited the painter to work at the Clos Lucé.Later the painting was taken to the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre.It is also true that During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, it was moved to a hiding place elsewhere in France.In our days Mona Lise lives in the most famous museum, Louvre.
From the beginning, this amazing painting was the source of endless real and fictional mysteries, from the magic of her eyes, always seeming to follow the viewer, to the enigma of her smile.Sigmund Freud interpreted the 'smile' as signifying Leonardo's erotic attraction to his mother.Others taught that Mona Lisa`s smile is very innocent and charming.Leonardo deliberately made the corners of the eyes and mouth on the Mona Lisa indistinct, merging them into soft shadow. When we look at her, we are not quite sure what her mood is. The technique that makes the Mona Lisa's expression ambiguous is called Sfumato.
Da Vinci also did something else unusual when he painted Mona. Look carefully at the picture; you will see that the two sides of the background do not quite match. The horizon on the left side seems much lower than the one on the right.In addition, Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting.
However, the Mona Lisa was one of Leonardo's favourite paintings, and he carried it with him until he died. Today, it is regarded as the most famous painting in the world, and is visited by many thousands of people every year.It can be found in the Louvre museum under the name „Mona Lisa“.

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