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Southern New Hampshire University *
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122
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by DeaconCranePerson695
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7-1 Project
Southern New Hampshire University
Perspectives in the Humanities
19 February 2023
2
7-1 Project
My chosen cultural work is the painting "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci. I was first
introduced to this masterpiece during my days in high school when a few artists came and gave a
speech on different art techniques, and a few of his paintings were being displayed on a
PowerPoint in my art class. Mona Lisa, also called Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco
del Giocondo, Italian La Gioconda, or French La Joconde, is an oil painting on a poplar wood
panel by Leonardo da Vinci, probably the world's most famous painting (Wigington,2019). It was
painted sometime between 1503 and 1519 when Leonardo was living in Florence, and it now
hangs in the Louvre Museum Paris, where it remained an object of pilgrimage in the 21st
century. The word
mona
is a colloquial version of the Italian word for
madam
or
ma'am,
thus the
title
Mona Lisa.
A few characteristics that stand out to me in the painting are the unique art techniques
that Leornado used and the enigmatic smile that Mona Lisa displayed. The painting of the Mona
Lisa always looked very realistic to me, and I soon learned that Leonardo used an artistic
technique called
sfumato. Sfumato
is a technique that uses subtle gradations of light and shadow
to model form and shows his understanding of the skull beneath the skin (Wigington, 2019). This
technique shows his understanding of musculature and the skull under the skin. The delicately
painted veil and careful rendering of folded fabric show how Leonardo studied observations and
unlimited patience. Another characteristic I noticed is the small cracks in the painting. The small
cracks are called
craquelure
and appear throughout the painting. I found this technique
fascinating and learned that "craquelure" comes from the French word
craqueler
meaning" to
chap." These cracks are extremely useful in paintings because they can help determine the age,
3
provide information about the color, and differentiate fakes. Lastly, I have always been intrigued
by Mona Lisa's mysterious smile. From one viewpoint, she looks cheery, and from another, she
looks unhappy.
Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa represents a feeling of happiness. What I
mean is that although her smile shows a hidden meaning behind it, Leonardo uses sfumato which
allows tones and colors to blend, creating an illusion effect. Leonardo was known as the painter
of smiles in his time. He painted honest women with a smile to remind them they were
courageous, outstanding, and divine. This painting represents the idea of happiness suggested by
the word "Gioconda" in Italian. Leonardo made this notion of happiness the central idea of the
portrait. His deep wisdom as an artist, scientist, and poet has created a new formula for
illustrating work as mysterious but with an appearance of life. The Mona Lisa is proof of a living
enigma. It is well known for integrating an image landscape and using aerial perspective, making
it still the most successful work today.
Leonardo's genius embodied the Renaissance humanist ideal, and his collective works
contributed to later generations of artists. The Mona Lisa is Leonardo da Vinci's most
recognizable piece, showing that he is an ideal Renaissance man. The Mona Lisa shows the
Renaissance ideals of secularism, realism, and individualism. The Mona Lisa is an illustrative
example of Leonardo Da Vinci showing the primary Renaissance significance in his work. The
influence of the Mona Lisa on the Renaissance and later times has been tremendous in
contemporary portrait painting. Leonardo's preliminary drawings also encouraged other artists to
make more free studies for their paintings.
Overall, The Mona Lisa greatly impacted people
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