Lecture on the Mona Lisa

Introduction

• Location: Louvre Museum, most crowded room.
• Subject: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the world's most famous painting.

Characteristics of the Mona Lisa

• Famous Smile: Ambiguous, open to interpretation.
  • Viewed by Sigmund Freud as both maternal and flirtatious.
• Portrait Details: Wife of a Florentine merchant.
  • During the Renaissance, portrait commissions were expensive and reserved for the elite.

Historical Context

• Renaissance Era: Growth of the merchant class.
  • Portrait commissioned by a wealthy Florentine cloth merchant.
  • Florence was an economic hub during the Renaissance.

Artistic Innovations

• Half-Length Portrait: New formula in Italy.
  • Previously, portraits were busts and profiles, static and formal.
  • Leonardo’s design included shoulders and hands for a natural look.
• Influence: Great impact on artists like Raphael.
• Sfumato Technique: Creates a hazy, atmospheric quality.
  • Blurs sharp lines, unifies painting, and adds depth.

Composition

• Setting: Seated in a loggia with columns possibly cut from original.
• Mysteries: Painting was never delivered to the commissioner.
  • Leonardo kept it, moved it to France, hence it’s in the Louvre.

Cultural Impact

• Fame: Compared to Vermeer’s "Woman with a Pearl Earring".
  • Mystery and ambiguity appeal to cultural fascination.
  • Fame increased after being stolen in 1911, leading to global headlines.
  • Subject of various artworks by artists like Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol.

Reflection

• Original Purpose: Intended for private home, possible celebration of life events.
• Unexpected Fate: Now in a gallery, viewed by millions, unlike Leonardo’s intention for a minor commission.