Week 16 - Artwork Analysis. Renaissance/ Golden Dutch Era Portrait

For this week's blog task, I decided to describe one of the most famous artworks of all time: Gioconda, better known as Mona Lisa. There have been numerous debates and theories on who the woman in the portrait is, but none of them have been proven true. One of the most famous speculations is that Mona Lisa is Lisa del Giocondo, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine merchant. This would explain the other name of the work -  Gioconda. 

The enigmatic reputation of the painting is not given only by the unknown identity of the model, but also by the techniques used and the expression on her face, as she seems to be staring at the viewer. Her eyes are human and yet inhuman at the same time.

The face of the woman is painted using sfumato, a technique that makes the transition between light and shadow really smooth. In da Vinci's portrait of Gioconda, this gives the figure an almost eerie look, through the smooth and ethereal shading. The eyes, looking slightly to the right of the viewer with a relaxed and peaceful expression, combined with the slight smile on Mona Lisa's lips give her a mysterious look, making the viewer pose the question: what hides behind it? And what is the story behind her unknown identity? The way the portrait is so detailed it almost seems alive reminds us that she was a real person, beyond the moment captured on the canvas. Still, there is distance between viewer and model.

The sfumato gives the woman a porcelain look, almost inhuman, and the crossed hands in front of her separate her from the onlooker: she is distant, ethereal, mysterious, and her smile tells us she is not going to reveal her secrets. 

The background depicts a landscape with an almost fantastical look: the difference between the left and right side, wether intentional or not, places Mona Lisa in a surreal world, adding to the air of mystery already surrounding the figure. 

The lack of eyebrows on the figure, although caused by the passing of time and unintended (scans show that the figure had eyebrows and eyelashes initially), nevertheless add to the enigmatic feel of the portrait. 

Leonardo da Vinci - Gioconda/Mona Lisa, 1503–1507

In conclusion, through carefully chosen composition and use of colour, as well as different techniques and observation, Leonardo da Vinci breathed life into his work, creating one of the most mysterious pieces of art. The mystery is not given solely by the unknown identity of the model, but through the eerie feeling that it creates in the heart of the viewers.