The Mona Lisa: A Revolutionary Portrait

Introduction

• Mona Lisa: Considered the greatest portrait of all time despite its small size and somber color.
• Cultural Impact: Inspired countless advertisements, poetry, sculpture, and forgeries.
• Mystifying Appeal: Known for her enigmatic gaze and smile.

Innovative Aspects by Leonardo Da Vinci

Pose and Composition

• 3/4 Pose: Relaxed and informal, revolutionary in the early 16th century.
  • Previous portraits were stiff and mainly profiles.
  • Established the de facto standard for portrait painting.
• Pyramidal Composition:
  • Wide base and heavy at the bottom, leading up to Mona Lisa's smile.
  • Intimate cropping, imitated by masters like Raphael.

Technique and Style

• Sfumato Technique:
  • Translucent layers of color creating depth and form.
  • Smoky feel around eyes, hair, and scarf, conveying movement.
• Background Harmony:
  • Blending sitter with landscape, new realism.
  • The landscape on either side of the head is a physical impossibility.
  • Introduction of imaginary landscape.
• Background Detail:
  • Hazy and out-of-focus distance, a major breakthrough in realism.

Artistic Details

• Anatomical Precision:
  • Accurate depiction of hands due to dissections.
• Framing and Composition:
  • Part of the painting lost when removed from the original frame.

Subject and Interpretation

• Identity:
  • Likely Lisa de Anonio Maria Gerardini, wife of Florentine Francesco Del Giocondo.
• Artistic Freedom:
  • Da Vinci's potential mix of representation and ideal beauty.
• Mysterious Smile:
  • Theories range from vision aspects to Freud's psychoanalysis.

Legacy

• Revolutionary Techniques:
  • Introduced new painting methods and displayed supreme mastery.
• Enduring Intrigue:
  • Continues to inspire and remains one of the greatest portraits.