Characteristics of the Mona Lisa

Clearly one of the most recognizable historical figures of the Renaissance, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian painter, polymath, architect, and inventor. Being a talented artist, he painted two legendary masterpieces that are still admired by the general public today; the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. He also made other countless contributions to the development of the arts, science, and literature of the Renaissance; such as concepts of surreal inventions that inspired today’s technology. Probably one of his most famous inventions; the Ornithopter, was notable for being one of the first concepts of human aviation. He was extremely well–known for his profound talent and impacted heavily on Renaissance society. In fact, he played such a huge part in Renaissance development he is often known as the Renaissance Man.

Born into an ordinary family, Leonardo was the son of Messer Piero da Vinci, an accountant, and Caterina, a peasant. Little is known about Leonardo’s childhood arts education, but at the age of 14, he was recognized as one of the most successful artists of his time. This gave him the opportunity to study at the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio; a renowned artist and sculptor. Apart from the skills of painting, drawing, sculpting, and modeling; Leonardo also learned chemistry, metallurgy, plaster casting, leather working, mechanics, and carpentry. The advanced knowledge he gained from his skilled teacher aspired him to create his very own classical inventions.

Leonardo usually made his own oil paints; using ground pigments and egg whites. They could be carefully handcrafted to make different shades and hues of blues, greens, and browns. These natural ingredients gave his finished work a neutral, pale palette, resulting in more depth and cohesiveness. Leonardo almost never used any intense or contrasting colors in his painting. To begin painting a masterpiece, Leonardo would start by smothering the canvas with grey or brown as the underpainting. He would then glaze the underpainting with another layer of paint. The glaze had very limited variation in tones and was almost transparent.

Leonardo experimented and worked with a variety of classic techniques to paint his oils. A common, well-documented technique found in many of his paintings is the use of sfumato. Meaning “dim” in Italian, sfumato is the technique of glazing blunt colors into each other, creating a gradual shade. Sfumato could be applied to add depth and profundity or grave and mystery. This is clearly displayed in the Mona Lisa, where sfumato gave the woman pale, undistinguished facial features and somber, mysterious background.

Today, oil-based paints are made from pigments derived from linseed oil, colored with pigments manufactured from minerals and metals such as iron oxide and burnt animal bones; or with artificial pigments derived from petroleum substances, acids, and other chemical compounds. Most of the oil paints we use today are made from these artificial tints. Although the ingredients have significantly changed, oil painting techniques used by Leonardo da Vinci such as scumbling and glazing the underpainting are still used today, and the latter is popular among artists.

Leonardo da Vinci painted many masterpieces using his original oil paints and techniques. The Mona Lisa is possibly the greatest painting ever made by Leonardo da Vinci and clearly, one of the most recognizable paintings of all time, rivaling The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. Millions of tourists poured from all over the world to admire the painting in its glory at the Louvre Museum, Paris. However, to most people, it is nothing much apart from a world-famous Renaissance painting. The meaning behind the Mona Lisa is deep, historical, and shrouded in mystery. It took many years and countless restoration attempts to enable art critiques to examine and decipher it.

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The Mona Lisa apparently depicts Lisa Gherardini Giocondo; an Italian noblewoman; seated in a mountainous landscape. He began painting it in 1503 and worked on it until his death in 1519; a painstaking 16 years. Leonardo’s advanced knowledge of anatomy and proportion are inexplicably portrayed in the painting, but it's the woman’s mysterious facial features that meet the eye. Her pale lips curved into a faint, mystic smile; and her famous eyes appear to follow the audience at any angle from which the painting is viewed. These enigmatic expressions have turned the Mona Lisa into a classical celebrity.

The woman’s unusual smile represents happiness, the motif of the portrait. The main theme is further amplified by adding clues that suggest the interconnection between humanity and nature. The landscape is a mixture of both urban and uninhabited settings, cleverly drawn with only the slightest indications of human presence. On the woman’s chest level, a winding road is painted using a warm palette. The friendly, warm colors indicate human presence. Further in the backdrop, on the same level as the Mona Lisa’s eye level; the landscape becomes an uninhabited wasteland of rocks, cliffs, and water stretching to the horizon, painted with heavy sfumato and a dark palette. The ominous colors and blurred outlines portray an unwelcoming landscape, far from human civilization.

Techniques used to create the painting are repeated in various sections of it to create depth. The undulating valleys and rivers in the backdrop are the answers to the aesthetic curves on the sitter’s hair and clothing. The blurred sfumato outlines create a sense of overall harmony in the painting. All these features are typical of Leonardo’s artwork and gained all universal popularity.

Due to the synthesis and techniques applied in Leonardo’s painting, the Mona Lisa most likely represented an imaginary paragon or deity instead of an actual woman. Because of this, some art critics believe the Mona Lisa is not a portrait of the real Lisa Gherardini Giocondo and speculated various theories as to whom the sitter most likely represents. Suspects include Leonardo’s mother, Caterina, and even Leonardo himself disguised as a woman, as they have remarkably similar facial features.

Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings were very well–valued and respected, that French ruler Francis I granted him the title “Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect to the King” and offered him a luxurious country manor house. Leonardo left Italy in 1516 to draw and paint at his leisure in his new French accommodation. Sadly, Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned career ended in 1519 when he died at the age of 67 while still working on the Mona Lisa. The painting outlived him and represented the endurance and inexhaustible patience he put into creating his masterpieces.

Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most famous Renaissance historical figures, didn’t earn his title of “Renaissance Man” for nothing. He had made a profound influence on the revival and enlightenment of arts, science, and literature during the Renaissance. He sketched many inventions that benefited later technology. He had made further discoveries about the human body. His paintings were created using his personal best and are well–valued and preserved. His legacy lives on until today and will survive in the future.