Monday, January 14, 2008

Mona Lisa Unveiled

I read an article today about da Vinci's infamous Mona Lisa painting. It seems as if they have finally discovered the woman behind the ever so slight grin. Here is the skinny...Mona is Lisa Gherardini. She was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy Florentine merchant. Experts say that there were notes scribbled in a book that is dated October 1503 that confirms that Lisa was the model for sure. But is this finding such a good thing? The way I see it is it can be a major loss to the art community. It somehow takes the sense of mystery out of the painting...something that most artists and non-artists alike relished. Not only is the mystery gone, but also the sense of one being able to imagine who this mystery woman was. Imagination is half the beauty of a piece of art. What does the painting depict? What was the thought process behind the painting?..etc, etc. Let's keep the mystery in our work artists. Let's keep our audience wondering about our story and making up their own.

I liked Mona Lisa better when I didn't know her smile.
Be blessed!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Teneeeeeeeeee'! Nice post. See you tomorrow? I have a notebook for you! -Jennifer

Anonymous said...

The "art" of a joke is that people "get it." Is fine art far from the same? As an artist, I can appreciate the "ah ha" factor as well as the mystery of the artist's stroke. The importance of Da Vinci's work is not necessarily minimized, but perhaps opens the door for even more discussion.

The Artist In Me said...

TS...you are right, the "art" of a joke is that people "get it", but is the Mona Lisa a joke? She is a work of fine art...intended to be mulled over by her viewers...not always to be "got" or understood, but to be appreciated.

Princess Rashid said...

I don't think knowing the name of the model takes away from the art community. I agree it may diminish some of the mystery behind the painting but art, to me, is about more than that. Its about communicating with your audience.

I am still in awe at his painting technique. To see the Mona Lisa in person must be a great experience also because of the way he painted it. Maybe I'm too much a modernist but I appreciate the application and technique behind his work more than the mysterious history of the piece.

As much as I respect his work, I don't think Leornardo was a very professional artist. Had Leornardo been more professional he would have kept better notes like with his scientific work. And we would know from the horses mouth who the model was and why. Maybe he was too much of a genius for trivial things like that!

Thanks for the post.

The Artist In Me said...

p.rashid, my friend TS would love you for your comment on Mona. I agree that it would be amazing to see the painting up close (texture & brush stroke). My interest of an artists' unspoken emotional part of their piece often supersedes their technique.

Thanks for your post!