Mona Lisa is the most famous picture in the world. Leonardo da Vinci wrote it five centuries ago (finished in 1519). This portrait now hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Millions of people around the world are baffled as to why the small portrait is so famous. ordinary woman? She is modestly dressed in a dark dress, a translucent veil and no jewelry. There is no single explanation for the popularity of this painting. The Mona Lisa's fame is the result of many random circumstances.

Mona Lisa is a realistic portrait

The painting was highly acclaimed even when Leonardo was working on it. Leonardo had the ability to closely imitate nature. Indeed, the Mona Lisa is very realistic portrait... The artist skillfully used shades of light and shadow to shape the model. The delicately drawn veil, the fine graceful hair of the Mona Lisa, and the meticulous rendering of the folded fabric show Leonardo's studied observations and inexhaustible patience. Today viewers can appreciate the model's gaze and ambiguous smile.

Mystery

Although many scholars believe that the painting depicts Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, there are no entries from Francesco, and the model has never been definitively identified.

During the romantic era of the 19th century, the simple Florentine housewife who may have been depicted turned into a mysterious seductress. The air of mystery continues to surround the picture and give rise to hypotheses.

The painting details

Her clothes are unremarkable. Neither the yellow sleeves of the robe, nor her pleated gown, nor the scarf gracefully draped around her shoulders are signs of aristocratic status.
Mona Lisa is the earliest Italian portrait, closely focused on a model. The painting is large enough to include the arms and hands. The figure is shown half-size from head to waist, seated in a chair. She put her left hand on the arm of the chair, which is placed in front of the loggia, supposedly along the parapet behind it. Two fragmentary columns frame the figure and form a "window" overlooking the landscape.

The Landscape

The nature of the landscape also plays a role. There is a winding road and a bridge. This space represents the transition between the model's space and the distance. Further, the landscape becomes a wild and uninhabited space of rocks and water that stretches towards the horizon, so cleverly drawn by Leonardo at the eye level of the model.

French national treasure

The writers of the 19th century are known to have sparked interest in the Mona Lisa. In addition, the theft of the painting in 1911 brought it to the attention of the whole world. People flocked to the Louvre to see the empty space where the painting once hung. Two years later, the painting was found in Italy and then returned to the Louvre. By that time, many French people began to view this work as National treasure that they lost and recovered.

The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting ever

The painting's exposure to the United States and Japan elevated it to celebrity status. Large crowds of people greeted the portrait. Moreover, as travel has become more accessible since the end of the 20th century, more and more more people were able to visit Paris and personally express their respect. Although the Mona Lisa is undoubtedly a good piece art, there is no single reason for its fame. Rather, there are hundreds of circumstances that all worked alongside the painting's inherent appeal.

Analysis of the work of art by Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa"

Analysis of the Renaissance artwork by Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa" or "La Gioconda"

To work on the portrait of "Mona Lisa" Leonardo da Vinci began around 1503 and continued to paint it until 1507.

This work was a decisive step towards the development of the Renaissance portrait art. Prior to this, the achievements of painters in portraiture were inferior to the achievements of such basic genres as compositions on religious and mythological themes. All that wealth human feelings and experiences that were present in biblical images was not reflected in portrait work.

Mona Lisa is shown sitting in an armchair against the background of a landscape, the extraordinary grandeur of the image is given by the comparison of her very close figure to the viewer with a landscape visible from afar, as it were, a huge mountain. The plastic tactility of the figure contrasts with its smoothly generalized silhouette with a whimsical landscape receding into the misty distance. But first of all, the image of Mona Lisa herself attracts - her bewitching, as if uninterruptedly following the audience's gaze, radiating mind and will, and a barely perceptible smile, giving the picture high poetry... The meaning of this smile remains a mystery to us and sow the day. A light transparent veil, covering the head and shoulders of Mona Lisa, combines carefully inscribed strands of hair and small folds of the dress into an overall smooth contour, which creates a very delicate and soft face modeling. One of the means of such subtle nuances was the characteristic Leonardo's "sfumato" - a subtle haze enveloping the face and figure, softening contours and shadows.

The famous Italian architect and historian Vasari, who lived in that brilliant era, wrote about Mona Lisa: “Leonardo agreed to paint for Francesco del Giocondo a portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife. He wrote it for four years and then left without completing it. Now this painting is owned by the French king Francis. Anyone who wants to know how close art can get to the natural original should carefully consider this beautiful head.

All its details are executed with the greatest diligence. The eyes have the same shine and are as hydrated as in life. Around them we see faint reddish-blue circles, and the eyelashes could only have been painted with a very skillful brush. You can see where the eyebrows are wider and where they become thinner, emerging from the pores of the skin and curving downward. Everything is as natural as it can be portrayed at all. Small, beautifully carved nostrils, pinkish and delicate, executed with the greatest truthfulness. The mouth, the corners of the lips, where the pink tint turns into a natural lively complexion, are painted so excellently that they do not seem drawn, but like living flesh and blood.

Anyone who looks closely at the dimple in the neck begins to think that he is about to be able to see the beating of the pulse. Indeed, this portrait is painted so perfectly that it makes any established artist, and indeed anyone who looks at him, tremble with excitement. "

In the assessment that Vasari gives "La Gioconda" - a significant, performed deep meaning gradation: everything is just like in reality, but looking at this reality, you experience the highest pleasure, and it seems that life itself cannot be different. In other words: reality, acquiring a certain new quality in beauty, more perfect than that which usually reaches our consciousness, beauty, which is the creation of an artist who completes the work of nature. And enjoying this beauty, you perceive in a new way visible world, so you believe: it should no longer be, it cannot be otherwise. The feeling of strength emanating from the painting "Mona Lisa" is a harmonious combination of inner composure and a sense of personal freedom. Great painter Leonardo da Vinci managed to bring into the image that degree of generalization that allows us to consider it as an image of a Renaissance man. This is the magic of the great realistic art. High Renaissance... It is not for nothing that Leonardo worked so long on "La Gioconda" in his striving to achieve "perfection over perfection", and it seems that he achieved this.

In the twentieth century, the painting almost never left the Louvre, having visited the United States in 1963 and Japan in 1974. On the way from Japan to France, the painting was exhibited at the Museum. A.S. Pushkin in Moscow. The trips only strengthened the success and fame of the picture.

Today "Mona Lisa" is located in the Louvre, but unfortunately it was decided that she would no longer be given to exhibitions because of her poor condition.

la gioconda portrait renaissance religious

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous paintings in the world.

In our time, this painting is in the Parisian Louvre.

The creation of the picture and the model depicted on it were surrounded by many legends and rumors, and even today, when there are practically no blank spots in the history of the "La Gioconda", myths and legends continue to circulate among many not particularly educated people.

Who is Mona Lisa?

The personality of the girl depicted is quite well known today. It is believed that this is Lisa Gherardini - a famous resident of Florence, who belonged to an aristocratic but impoverished family.

Gioconda is, apparently, her last name in marriage; her husband was a successful silk merchant Francesco di Bartolomeo di Zanobi del Giocondo. It is known that Lisa and her husband gave birth to six children and led a measured life typical for wealthy citizens of Florence.

One can think that the marriage was concluded for love, but at the same time it had additional benefits for both spouses: Lisa married a representative of a richer family, and Francesco through her became related to an old family. More recently, in 2015, scientists also discovered the grave of Lisa Gherardini - near one of the old Italian churches.

Painting creation

Leonardo da Vinci immediately took up this order and gave himself to him completely, literally with some kind of passion. And in further artist was closely attached to his portrait, carried it everywhere with him, and when in late age decided to leave Italy for France, then along with several of his selected works, he took with him and "La Gioconda".

What was the reason for this attitude of Leonardo to this picture? It is believed that great artist had a love affair with Lisa. However, it is possible that the painter appreciated this picture as an example of the highest flowering of his talent: "La Gioconda" really turned out to be extraordinary for its time.

Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) photo

It is interesting that Leonardo never gave the portrait to the customer, but took it with him to France, where King Francis I became its first owner. Perhaps such an act could be due to the fact that the master did not finish the canvas on time and continued painting the picture already after departure: that Leonardo “never finished” his painting, reports famous writer Renaissance period Giorgio Vasari.

Vasari, in his biography of Leonardo, reports many facts about the painting of this picture, but not all of them are reliable. So, he writes that the artist created a picture during four years which is a clear exaggeration.

He also writes that while Lisa was posing in the studio there was whole group jesters who entertained the girl, thanks to which Leonardo managed to portray her smile on her face, and not the sadness standard for that time. However, most likely, Vasari wrote the story about the jesters himself for the entertainment of readers, using the girl's surname - after all, “La Gioconda” means “playing”, “laughing”.

However, it can be noted that Vasari was attracted in this picture not so much by the realism as such, but by the amazing transfer of physical effects and the smallest details of the image. Apparently, the writer described the picture from memory or from the stories of other eyewitnesses.

Some myths about the painting

Also in late XIX century Gruye wrote that "La Gioconda" for several centuries literally deprives people of their sanity. Many wondered, contemplating this amazing portrait, which is why it was overgrown with many legends.

• According to one of them, in the portrait of Leonardo allegorically depicted ... himself, which is allegedly confirmed by coincidence small parts faces;
• According to another, the painting depicts a young man in women's clothing- for example, Salai, student of Leonardo;
• Another version says that the picture shows simply ideal woman, a kind of abstract image. All of these versions are currently recognized as erroneous.

Mona Lisa is the most famous work v artistic world which created the most famous author- Leonardo da Vinci. This is a legendary work of art, which is shrouded in hundreds of secrets and unsolved mysteries, which fascinates the minds of many researchers and ordinary uninitiated viewers.

There has always been interest in creation, but it has become especially acute in last years after the release of the novel "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, as well as films based on this book. And now you will learn about the most incredible and Interesting Facts about Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Mona Lisa facts

• The prefix Mona means "Madonna" or "Milady", and Lisa is just a name.
• The identity of the person in the picture has always remained a mystery. Some researchers tend to think that this is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci in female image However, most consider the Mona Lisa to be 24-year-old Lisa Heraldina, also known as Lisa del Giocondo, who was the wife of the merchant Francesco del Giocondo. It is also possible that this is a portrait of the artist's mother.
• In 1956, an emergency occurred at the Louvre. Hugo Ungaza threw a stone at the portrait, from which the masterpiece was damaged near the left elbow of the Mona Lisa.
• How much do you think this painting is worth? Hundreds of thousands of dollars? Millions? Billions? No! She's priceless! And that's why the masterpiece is still uninsured.
• Interesting facts about Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci must be supplemented by the fact that the woman depicted in the picture does not have eyebrows. It is not known for certain why this happened. It is believed that they were erased during one of the restorations in the Middle Ages, since then completely removing the eyebrows was in vogue. It is also believed that the picture is deliberately unfinished by the author.

• The painting is housed in a special room in the Louvre. This room was created for $ 7 million specifically for the Mona Lisa. The masterpiece is under armored glass, and the required temperature is maintained using a computer and complex system sensors.
• The Mona Lisa was completed at the Château d'Amboise in France around 1505. According to one of the hypotheses, Leonardo da Vinci is buried in this castle.
• Microscopic numbers and letters are drawn in the pupils of the Mona Lisa. They are visible only with the help of special equipment. It is believed that this is the date of completion of the painting and the initials of the author.
• Mona Lisa is considered one of the most disappointing sights. There is so much noise and legends, but you come to the museum, it is hidden under glass, and so far from you ... just a picture ...
• A particular wave of popularity for the Mona Lisa came after the kidnapping. On August 21, 1911, the painting was stolen by Vincenzo Perugio, an employee of the Paris Museum. During the investigation, the leadership of the Louvre was dismissed, under suspicion were famous people such as Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire. The resulting painting was discovered on January 4, 1914 in Italy. After that, several exhibitions were held with her, and then she was returned to Paris. The motives for the crime are not known for certain, it is likely that Perugio wanted to return the masterpiece to Leonardo da Vinci's homeland.

Leonardo da Vinci. Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco day Giocondo (Mona Lisa or Gioconda). 1503-1519 Louvre, Paris

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most mysterious picture... Because she is very popular. When there is so much attention, an unthinkable amount of secrets and conjectures appears.

So I couldn't resist trying to solve one of these mysteries. No, I will not look for encrypted codes. I will not solve the mystery of her smile.

I'm worried about something else. Why does the description of the portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo's contemporaries do not coincide with what we see in the portrait from the Louvre? Does the Louvre really have a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of the silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo? And if this is not Mona Lisa, then where is the real La Gioconda kept?

Leonardo's authorship is undeniable

That the Louvre La Gioconda was written by himself, almost no one doubts. It is in this portrait that the sfumato method invented by the master (very subtle transitions from light to shadow) is revealed as much as possible. A barely perceptible haze shading the lines makes Mona Lisa almost alive. It seems that her lips are now parting. She will sigh. The chest will rise.

Few could rival Leonardo in creating such realism. Except that . But in the application of the method, sfumato was still inferior to him.

Even compared to earlier portraits of Leonardo himself, the Louvre Mona Lisa is a clear advance.

Leonardo da Vinci. Left: Portrait of Ginerva Benchi. 1476 g. National Gallery Washington. Middle: Lady with an ermine. 1490 Czartoryski Museum, Krakow. Right: Mona Lisa. 1503-1519 Louvre, Paris

Leonardo's contemporaries described a completely different Mona Lisa

There is no doubt about Leonardo's authorship. But is it correct to call the lady in the Louvre Mona Lisa? Anyone can have doubts about this. It is enough to read the description of the portrait, the younger contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci. This is what he wrote in 1550, 30 years after the death of the master:

“Leonardo undertook to make a portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife, for Francesco del Giocondo, and after working on it for four years, left it imperfect ... the eyes have that shine and that moisture that is usually seen in a living person ... Eyebrows could not have been more natural: hair grow densely in one place and less often in another in accordance with the pores of the skin ... The mouth, slightly open with the edges connected by the scarlet lips ... Mona Lisa was very beautiful ... the smile was so pleasant that it seems as if you are contemplating a divine rather than a human being ... "

Notice how many of Vasari's descriptions do not match up with the Mona Lisa from the Louvre.

At the time of writing the portrait, Lisa was no more than 25 years old. The Mona Lisa from the Louvre is clearly older. This is already a lady who is over 30-35 years old.

Vasari also talks about eyebrows. Which Mona Lisa doesn't have. However, this can be attributed to poor restoration. There is a version that they were erased due to unsuccessful cleaning of the painting.
Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa (detail). 1503-1519

Red lips with a parted mouth are completely absent from the Louvre portrait.

The lovely smile of a divine being is also debatable. Not everyone seems to be like that. It is sometimes even compared to the smile of a confident predator. But this is already a matter of taste. The beauty of the Mona Lisa mentioned by Vasari is also debatable.

The main thing is that the Louvre La Gioconda is completely finished. Vasari claims that the portrait was left unfinished. This is already a serious inconsistency.

Where is the real Mona Lisa located?

So if the Mona Lisa is not hanging in the Louvre, so where is she?

I know of at least three portraits that are much more suitable for Vasari's description. In addition, they were all created in the same years as the Louvre portrait.

1. Mona Lisa from Prado

This Mona Lisa received little attention until 2012. Until one day the restaurateurs cleared the black background. And lo and behold! There was a landscape under the dark paint - exact copy Louvre background.

Pradovskaya Mona Lisa younger than years 10 of its rival from the Louvre. Which corresponds to the real age of the real Lisa. She's nicer in appearance. She has eyebrows after all.

However, the experts did not claim the title main picture the world. They admitted that the work was done by one of Leonardo's students.

Thanks to this work, we can imagine what the Louvre Mona Lisa looked like 500 years ago. After all, the portrait from the Prado is much better preserved. Due to Leonardo's constant experiments with paints and varnishes, the Mona Lisa darkened very much. Most likely, she once also wore a red dress, not a golden brown dress.

2. Flora from the Hermitage

Flora fits Vasari's description very well. Young, very beautiful, with an unusually pleasant smile of red lips.

In addition, this is how Melzi himself described the beloved work of his teacher Leonardo. In his correspondence, he calls her Gioconda. The painting, he said, depicted a girl of incredible beauty with a Columbine flower in her hand.

However, we do not see her “wet” eyes. In addition, it is unlikely that Signor Giocondo would have allowed his wife to pose with bare breasts.

So why does Melzi call her Gioconda? After all, it is this name that makes some experts think that the real Mona Lisa is not in the Louvre, but in.

There may have been confusion over 500 years. From Italian “Gioconda” is translated as “Merry”. Maybe this is what the students called and Leonardo himself called his Flora. But it so happened that this word coincided with the name of the person who ordered the portrait, Giocondo.

This portrait was revealed to the general public about 100 years ago. An English collector bought it from Italian owners in 1914. They allegedly had no idea what kind of treasure they possess.

A version was seen that this is the same Mona Lisa that Leonardo wrote to order for Signor Giocondo. But he did not finish it.

It is also assumed that the Mona Lisa that hangs in the Louvre was painted by Leonardo 10 years later already for himself. Taking as a basis the already familiar image of Signora Giocondo. For their own pictorial experiments. So that no one bothers him and does not demand a picture.

The version looks plausible. Besides, the Isleworth Mona Lisa is just unfinished. I wrote about this. Notice how unworked the woman's neck and the landscape behind her are. She also looks younger than her Louvre rival. As if really the same woman was portrayed with a difference of 10-15 years.

The version is very interesting. If not for one big BUT. The Isleworth Mona Lisa was painted on canvas. Whereas Leonardo da Vinci wrote only on the blackboard. Including the Louvre Mona Lisa.

Crime of the century. The abduction of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre

Maybe the real Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre. And Vasari described it too inaccurately. And Leonardo has nothing to do with the three above pictures.

However, in the 20th century, there was one case that still casts doubt on the fact that the real La Gioconda hangs in the Louvre.

In August 1911, the Mona Lisa disappeared from the museum. They have been looking for her for 3 years. Until the offender betrayed himself in the stupidest way. Placed an ad in the newspaper for the sale of the painting. The collector came to see the picture and realized that the person who submitted the ad was not crazy. Mona Lisa was actually gathering dust under his mattress.
Louvre. Crime scene photo (Mona Lisa disappeared). 1911 g.

The culprit was the Italian Vincenzo Perugia. He was a glazier and painter. He worked for several weeks at the Louvre on glass protective boxes for paintings.

According to his version, patriotic feelings awoke in him. He decided to return to Italy the painting stolen by Napoleon. For some reason he was sure that all the pictures Italian craftsmen The Louvre was stolen by this dictator.

The story is very suspicious. Why did he not let know about himself for 3 years? It is possible that he or his client needed time to make a copy of the Mona Lisa. As soon as the copy was ready, the thief issued an advertisement that would obviously lead to his arrest. By the way, they sentenced him to a ridiculous term. Less than a year later, Perugia was already at large.

So it may well be that the Louvre got back a very high quality fake. By that time, they had already learned how to artificially age paintings and pass them off as originals.

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