Da Vinci's The Mona Lisa

Da Vinci's The Mona Lisa

When I first look at the ‘Mona Lisa’, I notice the intriguing look

that is on her face. The expression is one that reminds me of a lady

that is neither happy nor sad, smiling nor frowning. Her skin is very

smooth and she has no blemishes, but also she has no eyebrows, which

makes her look quite strange. At different times the expression on

Mona Lisa changes. Sometimes she is giving a cheeky smile and others

she looks puzzled. This is very strange and almost magical.

Also, when looking at the Mona Lisa, I notice that her face is bathed

in light. This light is almost heavenly and gives the impression that

she is angelic. But on the contrary, another thing I notice is the

dark clothing and gloomy mysterious background setting. The dark

clothing and the veil covering her hair give the impression that she

has been to a funeral or is in mourning. The background setting is

very mysterious. The winding roads, ravenous mountains and the gloomy

fog all add to the mystery. It is as if the background is right out of

a fantasy story. Another weird thing that the background does is makes

the beholder unsure on which time of day it is in the picture.

The painting is Oil on a poplar wood panel. This was Da Vinci’s main

style. It may have helped to create the Sfumato technique. The size of

the painting is 77cm x 53cm, this is quite a small size for such a

great painting. Da Vinci may have done this to make it look more

lifelike so the beh...