7-1 Project

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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122

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Arts Humanities

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Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by DeaconCranePerson695

1 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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