Mona Lisa:Why is it the Most Famous piece of Art?

 For many people the portrait of Mona Lisa appears to be the greatest of all time. The painting is thought to be ‘’the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about and the most parodied work of art in the world’’. A fascinating fact this piece of art holds is that it holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history, which is worth over $750 million. 

It is estimated to been created between 1503 and 1506 by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci.Despite it's greatness the dimensions of the painting are relatively small (30 by 21 inches). 

It came to France after it was obtained by King Francis of France. Now, it belongs to the France Republic, where it’s exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Members of the Museum Staff estimate that 80% of the visitors come to the Museum just for this painting. 

But why is this painting so famous? 

‘’La Gioconda’’ as it’s referred in Italy, is for many a masterpiece of art due to it’s great innovation (relaxed and informal ¾ pose of the subject). It may seem really common today but back then the pose of Mona Lisa was considered revolutionary. Prior portraits had a completely different angle of approach. It was a new pose that established a different style of portrait painting that can been seen even today as the most common one even after 500 years later.

Another great element that Da Vinci brought first tο surface was: the smile. Up until that point smiles weren’t featured in those type of paintings. 

In addition,Sfumato is Italian for blended with connotations of smoky. Leonardo tried this brand-new stroke where he had to wait for a layer to dry in order to continue with another one. By this new technique he managed to make the painting look better with more depth, volume and form. Plus,it created a sense of harmony between the sitter and the landscape on the background. 

Things of value take time to create, well, Da Vinci’s painting wasn’t excluded from that informal act. Experts evaluate the painting to be competed within a 4 years period.

Mystery

A key element that makes the painting so important is its mystery. Many theories are being told as for who that woman in the painting is. 

Was she Da Vinci’s lover? 

His mom? 

Or is it a ‘’he’’? 

However, the most likely version is that it’s a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. 

The smile

Scientists cannot agree as to why Mona Lisa’s smile is interpreted so differently by various people. Theories range from the nature of human vision to Sigmund Freud’s interpretation of the smile signifying Leonardo’s erotic attraction to his mother. A mystery smile that gives the whole painting a unique representation of someone. Mystique is valuable trait that makes a person more attractive, a project more noticeable, and a business more appealing.  

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