101 Things You Didn't Know About Da Vinci by Shana Priwer
Authors: Shana Priwer
Tags: subject
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The entertainment could provide one explanation for Lisa's slight smile. Also significant about Lisa's expression is that one eye is slightly higher than the other, increasing the sense of movement in the painting. If you've ever seen the Mona Lisa in person, you know that her eyes seem to follow you around the room. Leonardo probably created this effect on purpose. The corners of the mouth and eyes are the most expressive parts of the human face, and Leonardo did not overdefine these parts of the Mona Lisa . Instead, they are highly shadowed and almost vague, causing her expression to appear to change depending on the viewer's perspective.
Like Leonardo himself, the Mona Lisa did plenty of traveling. Leonardo carried it with him to France during his tenure under King François I. At the end of his life he either gave or sold it to the King, and it eventually ended up in the Louvre. Napoleon borrowed the painting for a period, and it was hidden during the Franco-Prussian War to ensure it wasn't stolen or damaged. In 1911, a Louvre employee named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the painting and then tried to sell it, but he was captured and the artwork was returned to the Louvre in 1913.
The Mona Lisa was hidden again during World Wars I and II. Then, it toured various countries (including the United States) during the 1960s and 1970s. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, it's unlikely that it will leave the Louvre again any time soon. At present, it resides in the museum behind bulletproof glass in a climate-controlled enclosure.
39
Oldies but goodies
While his early work is probably his most famous, Leonardo made many paintings later in life that would become popular in their own right. One of Leonardo's last works, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is one of his most celebrated. Leonardo first explored this somewhat obscure religious theme in a sketch done in 1498. The basic layout of the scene contained the Virgin Mary with her mother, Saint Anne, and the infant Christ. Although that early sketch has been lost, a later one, dubbed the âBurlington House Cartoonâ (named after a former British owner's collection), shows a discarded concept for this work. In fact, this sketch is sometimes preferred over the finished painting!
During the Renaissance, a âcartoonâ referred to a full-sized sketch that showed the planned layout of a painting, which the artist then transferred to the canvas or panel to be actually painted. The Burlington House Cartoon shows the infant Christ blessing a young St. John, accompanied by Mary and Anne. Leonardo abandoned this concept for unknown reasons and never actually painted it, but when the sketch was exhibited, it received major acclaim. This sketch is still celebrated as one of Leonardo's major works. The facial expressions and poses are considered much more natural than those in the completed painting.
The monks of the Florentine Santissima Annunziata commissioned the version of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne that Leonardo actually did paint as an altarpiece for their high altar. Leonardo completed the work, which dates from 1507â1513, in his typical fashion: not on time. The monks, eager for their new work, had to commission another piece. In fact, they had given the original commission to Filippino Lippi, but he rejected the project, suggesting that the monks give the commission to Leonardo (whom he considered a superior artist). When Leonardo failed to complete the work on time, Lippi took on the project, but he died before finishing his work. The monks finally got their painting when Perugino completed Lippi's work.
Leonardo's painting of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne , completed well past the monks' deadline, shows Mary seated on her mother Anne's lap. Mary is leaning over to her infant son, who is holding a lamb. (The lamb represents a symbol of what Jesus would become: a sacrifice.) Anne's face is peaceful and serene, while Mary's suggests
Like Leonardo himself, the Mona Lisa did plenty of traveling. Leonardo carried it with him to France during his tenure under King François I. At the end of his life he either gave or sold it to the King, and it eventually ended up in the Louvre. Napoleon borrowed the painting for a period, and it was hidden during the Franco-Prussian War to ensure it wasn't stolen or damaged. In 1911, a Louvre employee named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the painting and then tried to sell it, but he was captured and the artwork was returned to the Louvre in 1913.
The Mona Lisa was hidden again during World Wars I and II. Then, it toured various countries (including the United States) during the 1960s and 1970s. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, it's unlikely that it will leave the Louvre again any time soon. At present, it resides in the museum behind bulletproof glass in a climate-controlled enclosure.
39
Oldies but goodies
While his early work is probably his most famous, Leonardo made many paintings later in life that would become popular in their own right. One of Leonardo's last works, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is one of his most celebrated. Leonardo first explored this somewhat obscure religious theme in a sketch done in 1498. The basic layout of the scene contained the Virgin Mary with her mother, Saint Anne, and the infant Christ. Although that early sketch has been lost, a later one, dubbed the âBurlington House Cartoonâ (named after a former British owner's collection), shows a discarded concept for this work. In fact, this sketch is sometimes preferred over the finished painting!
During the Renaissance, a âcartoonâ referred to a full-sized sketch that showed the planned layout of a painting, which the artist then transferred to the canvas or panel to be actually painted. The Burlington House Cartoon shows the infant Christ blessing a young St. John, accompanied by Mary and Anne. Leonardo abandoned this concept for unknown reasons and never actually painted it, but when the sketch was exhibited, it received major acclaim. This sketch is still celebrated as one of Leonardo's major works. The facial expressions and poses are considered much more natural than those in the completed painting.
The monks of the Florentine Santissima Annunziata commissioned the version of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne that Leonardo actually did paint as an altarpiece for their high altar. Leonardo completed the work, which dates from 1507â1513, in his typical fashion: not on time. The monks, eager for their new work, had to commission another piece. In fact, they had given the original commission to Filippino Lippi, but he rejected the project, suggesting that the monks give the commission to Leonardo (whom he considered a superior artist). When Leonardo failed to complete the work on time, Lippi took on the project, but he died before finishing his work. The monks finally got their painting when Perugino completed Lippi's work.
Leonardo's painting of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne , completed well past the monks' deadline, shows Mary seated on her mother Anne's lap. Mary is leaning over to her infant son, who is holding a lamb. (The lamb represents a symbol of what Jesus would become: a sacrifice.) Anne's face is peaceful and serene, while Mary's suggests
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