Mona Lisa (Full Length): Great Art Explained

Name: Mona Lisa (Full Length): Great Art Explained
Uploaded: 2021-11-04T19:11:41.000Z
Duration: 1 h 4 min 54 s

The Mona Lisa: Portrait of a Masterpiece

In this section, we learn that the Mona Lisa is not an immediately impressive painting but rather a quiet and contemplative one. We also learn that it is considered the greatest psychological portrait ever painted.

The Genius of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was a man for whom science and art were complementary disciplines.

He believed that ideas formulated in one realm could - and should, inform the other.

He designed war machines, used fossils to disprove biblical accounts of the flood, and had the skill to open the still-beating heart of a pig to explain how ventricles work.

His anatomical drawings are unparalleled as are his botanical studies.

His treatise on painting explored radical new ideas.

The Life of Leonardo da Vinci

In 1516, French King Francis I offered Leonardo a job as Court painter Engineer and Architect to the king.

Leonardo moved to France where he formed a deep friendship with King Francis I.

He was given the king's royal summer home Close Lucé where he lived for the last three years of his life - doing what he loved best, learning and creating.

He brought dozens of notebooks with him to France including the Mona Lisa which he continued working on until his death in 1519.

The Mystery Behind Mona Lisa

Vasari published his book about Renaissance artists in 1550, writing that "Leonardo undertook to execute for Francesco del Giacondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa - his wife."

Lisa Gherardini married Francesco del Giacondo in 1495. She was 15 and he was 30.

Leonardo was painting a portrait of Lisa del Giacondo, according to an eyewitness account by Agostini Vespucci, the secretary of Nicolo Machiavelli.

It is believed that Leonardo took on such a small commission due to pressure from his father who was Francesco's lawyer.

The Techniques Behind the Mona Lisa

This section discusses the techniques used by Leonardo da Vinci in creating the Mona Lisa.

High Resolution Scan Reveals Underlying Sketch

A high resolution scan taken by art technician Pascal Cotte in 2004 revealed a similar sketch underneath the Mona Lisa.

The pose looks the same, and it is quite possible that this is the face of the real Mona Lisa.

Information About Lisa del Giacondo

Knowing that the subject of the painting is Lisa del Giacondo gives us more information to work with.

For example, because we have Francesco's will, we know that Lisa owned a large amount of jewelry that is not shown in the painting and that this fact is significant.

Confirmation of Identity

We can be sure that Mona Lisa is indeed Lisa del Giocondo from Florence.

Experimentation with Techniques

To say that aspects of the Mona Lisa are just "happy accidents" or "hoped for the best" denies all evidence of a lifetime spent experimenting with techniques, dissecting human bodies, and collecting scientific and geological data.

Leonardo worked on the painting for 16 years.

Painting Details

The painting has a huge impact despite its small size at 77 by 53 centimeters or 30 inches by 21.

Leonardo used a thin grain of poplar tree and applied an undercoat of lead white rather than just a mix of chalk and pigment to create a reflective base.

He painted with semi-transparent glazes mixed with oil so how dark you wanted your glaze to be depends on how much pigment you use.

He used more like a "wash," which he applied thin layer by layer.

He used up to 30 different layers of painted glaze on the Mona Lisa, applied so thinly that it only totals 40 micrometers of paint! That's half the width of a human hair.

Techniques Used

Leonardo used the "Verdaccio" technique, using green as a base color to produce nuanced flesh tones.

He also used the "Chiaroscuro" technique, where he contrasts prominent shades of light and dark to create the illusion of three-dimensional forms.

Along with this, Leonardo used the "Sfumato" technique, which he is credited as inventing. Sfumato means "smokey," and it is a blending technique for softening the transition between colors.

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa

This transcript discusses the techniques used by Leonardo da Vinci in his painting of the Mona Lisa, including his use of light and optics to create a lifelike image, as well as his representational skill and powers of observation. The transcript also explores the simplicity of Mona Lisa's clothing and lack of jewelry, as well as her missing eyebrows and eyelashes.

Techniques Used by Leonardo

Leonardo used clearly defined edges for Raphael's figure but none for Leonardo's figure.

He understood light and optics which allowed him to create optical illusions that made Mona Lisa appear lifelike.

His use of Sfumato, Chiaroscuro, and glazes created depth of field never seen before in a painting.

His representational skill was spectacular while his powers of observation were uncanny.

Simplicity in Clothing

Mona Lisa is stripped off all high status symbols such as flamboyant clothes or expensive jewelry.

Her simple clothing serves one purpose only - to ensure that viewers are not distracted from her face.

Missing Eyebrows and Eyelashes

Over time with cleaning and restoration, the most delicate parts of the painting - her eyebrows and eyelashes - have disappeared.

Copies produced by Leonardo's own studio show how she looked in 1503 when she still had eyebrows.

Technique Used by Leonardo

Multi-spectral analysis revealed that he used a preparatory sketch or "Cartoon" to create the Mona Lisa using Spolvaro technique similar to tracing.

He used the Spolvaro technique to transfer his sketches of the Mona Lisa to a wooden panel more than once.

The analysis shows faint traces of the charcoal drawing, most obvious on her hands where the scan shows us the charcoal pinpricks used to trace the drawing onto the wood.

The Prado Mona Lisa

This section discusses the Prado Mona Lisa, a copy of the original painting. It was painted by an apprentice working under Leonardo's supervision and provides unique insights into the original painting.

The Prado Mona Lisa

The Prado Mona Lisa was painted by an apprentice working side by side with Leonardo using the same pigments and adjustments.

Scientific examination reveals that it was created simultaneously in the same studio as the original.

By overlaying the two paintings, we can see what the original might look like if it were possible to restore her.

The excellent state of conservation of the copy gives us unique insights into the original painting.

Composition Techniques

This section discusses some of Leonardo's composition techniques used in creating the Mona Lisa.

Pyramid Shape Composition

Leonardo uses a classic "pyramid shape" composition that provides stability and directs your gaze towards a clear central focus.

In Mona Lisa's case, this technique pulls us into her face.

Three-quarter Length Pose

Leonardo pioneered the use of a "three-quarter length pose" rather than producing a full-length portrait or standard profile used at that time.

This three-quarter length pose becomes standard in Italy for 400 years.

Groundbreaking Painting Techniques

For its day, Mona Lisa's pose was groundbreaking.

Mona Lisa is relaxed, her hands are resting gently on the arm of her chair, as she turns towards us. Almost as if it's a "snapshot".

Mona Lisa is also rather content and self-assured, which was more how aristocratic men were portrayed, not women.

The entire painting deviated from the traditional way women were painted in Italy.

Background Techniques

This section discusses Leonardo's background techniques used in creating the Mona Lisa.

Aerial Perspective

Paintings in this period had both the subject and the background in sharp focus.

Whereas the background of the Mona Lisa is hyper-realistic and created using an illusion of depth or recession called "aerial perspective".

Behind Mona Lisa, the vast landscape proceeds to distant icy mountains. A path and a bridge are the only indication of human presence.

Connection with Nature

The curves of her hair and clothing reflect the rolling valleys and rivers behind her, connecting humanity and nature.

Even the background is informed by science - sedimentary layers studied by Leonardo in Apennines centuries before Darwin guessed that through his studies of rocks and fossils that the world is far older than Genesis claims

The Illusion of Movement

In this section, we learn about the visual trick that Leonardo used to create an illusion of movement in the Mona Lisa painting.

Skewed Horizon and Level Shoulders

The horizon of the landscape does not quite line up behind the figure.

This is a typical Leonardo visual trick that gives an illusion of movement.

Our brains struggle with this conflicting visual information, causing us to interpret the shoulders as being on a slant - which they are not.

As our brain corrects this, it creates an illusion of movement, as if the figure "shuffles" a bit in its frame.

Eye Contact

Lisa's eyes are looking to her left, but step back and she is looking directly at us.

If your screen is big enough, move to the right and left. Her eyes follow you.

The Smile

In this section, we learn about how Leonardo made Mona Lisa's smile his signature by studying every possible movement of each part of her face.

Smiling Portraits

Before, during and long after the Renaissance, artists did not paint their subjects smiling.

Portraits are generally very serious because it takes weeks or months to paint them.

Signature Smile

Despite the scarcity of a smile in paintings, Leonardo almost makes it his signature.

It is said that Leonardo kept Lisa happy by employing musicians and jesters.

Enigmatic Smile

Look at her for a while. Really look into her eyes.

First, she is smiling and then she is not.

The smile "comes and goes" as we scan around the face. When we look away, the smile lingers.

Anatomy of a Smile

Leonardo spent his nights in the morgue peeling the flesh off cadavers and exposing the muscles and nerves underneath.

He became fascinated by "how a smile works" and analyzed every possible movement of each part of the face.

Working out the origins of every nerve which controls the facial muscles.

Here we see two partially dissected faces in profile. They show the muscles which control the lips and other elements of expression.

Mona Lisa's Smile

A simple drawing of a gentle smile sketched lightly in black chalk is the beginning of Mona Lisa's smile.

Astonishingly, Leonardo had studied 11th-century Islamic physicist Al-Hazen, whose pioneering theories on visual perception inspired his own work on optics.

Leonardo knew from his optic studies that light rays do not come to a single point in the eye but instead hit the whole area of the retina - this is key to her enigmatic smile.

Conclusion

In this section, we learn about how Dr. Margaret Livingston discovered that Mona Lisa's smile changes because of how human visual systems are designed.

Human Visual System

Dr. Margaret Livingston discovered that Mona Lisa's smile changes because of how human visual systems are designed.

The human eye has two distinct regions for seeing the world:

A central area called Fovea where people see colors, read fine print, and pick out details.

How We See Mona Lisa's Smile

This section explains how our eyes perceive Mona Lisa's smile and why it appears to change.

The Eyes Have It

When looking at a face, we focus on the other person's eyes using central vision.

Peripheral vision is less accurate and picks up shadows from Mona Lisa's cheekbones when the center of gaze is on her eyes.

Leonardo da Vinci used Sfumato and Chiaroscuro techniques to suggest the curvature of a smile through shadows and tones.

When looking directly at her mouth, our central vision doesn't see the shadows, so she appears to be smirking at best.

Seeing Is Believing

Scanning back and forth between her eyes and lips changes her expression because of how we "see," not how we "think."

Leonardo understood this 500 years ago.

The Popularity of Mona Lisa

This section discusses the history of Mona Lisa's popularity.

A Masterpiece From The Start

Mona Lisa was seen as a great painting right from the start.

In 1797, she was moved to the Louvre where Napoleon saw her and decided he "had to have her."

In 1800, he had her moved to his private bedroom in the Tuilleries.

By 1825, engravings of Mona Lisa were made - adding to her popularity.

Written About Extensively

Charles Baudelaire, George Sand, Jules Verne were amongst many who wrote about her.

In 1867, art critic Theophile Gautier published a popular article "praising her mysterious smile and her eyes that hid secrets."

Baedeker guidebooks told tourists as early as the 1870s that she was "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre."

Mona Lisa was already on her way to becoming known worldwide.

Stolen But Not Forgotten

On August 21, 1911, Vincenzo Perugia stole the Mona Lisa and took her to Italy.

She was missing for over two years, during which people lined up around the block to look at the empty space where she once was.

Perugia stole the Mona Lisa because it was the most well-known painting.

Her fame grew enormously after she was stolen but it did not begin in 1911.

Cementing Her Fame

Photography became commonplace by this time, so millions of people who might not have seen it in person soon became "experts" on Leonardo's stolen painting.

What really cemented her fame was her 1963 visit to the U.S., making global headlines and bringing the Mona Lisa into billions of living rooms through television.

The Mona Lisa: A Masterpiece Beyond Celebrity

In this section, the speaker discusses how the theft of the Mona Lisa and her subsequent global fame have distracted from her true status as a masterpiece. The speaker emphasizes the importance of taking time to appreciate art in an era where we are constantly bombarded with images.

The Mona Lisa's Fame

Despite being considered a masterpiece, the Mona Lisa's theft and subsequent global fame have made her more well-known.

However, regardless of all this, she would have become famous in the same way as other masterpieces such as "The Birth of Venus" or "The Girl with the Pearl Earring".

Her celebrity status is a distraction from what a masterpiece she really is.

Appreciating Art

In an era where we are bombarded with images, it is more important than ever to stop and look again.

Whether she is "Mona Lisa", "La Giaconda" or "La Jaconde", she is the face of a revolution in art.

It is important to remember that Leonardo da Vinci believed that everything is connected and had the ability to combine intellect with imagination. Art and science are perfectly blended in a single work that may have started as a simple portrait but has become something much more poetic - something universal.

Learning from Art

Leonardo once said that "Art is never finished - just abandoned".

Despite all the myths and legends surrounding her, we ARE learning more about her through science and studies.

It seems apt that a painting created by a man who never stopped learning still manages to teach us something 500 years after he created it.