Why is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Da Vinci, Mona Lisa or La Gioconda,

1503-1505

The City of Rome, Italy

The City of Florence, Italy

Prior to the Renaissance

Giotto, Madonna in Glory, 1311 →

What is the Renaissance?• The term Renaissance comes from the

French word meaning “rebirth”

• The Renaissance patrons (the church and wealthy) wanted art that showed joy in human beauty. Renaissance art is more life like than in the art of the Middle Ages. Renaissance artists studied perspective, or the differences in the way things look when they are close to something or far away. The artists painted in a way that showed these differences. As a result, their paintings seem to have depth.

As a result of the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911 she now is shown behind glass in an air conditioned box. This also

prevents it from not decaying.

When and who stole the Mona Lisa? Why and how was it Stolen?

The Mona Lisa was stolen in August of 1911 by a carpenter named Vincenzo Peruggia. Peruggia stole the painting by hiding in a cabinet in one of the exhibition spaces at the louvre. He was fixing the cabinet and waited to steal the painting until it was closed. Once he had the painting he was going to sell it to the Uffizi gallery in Florence and said he was returning it to it’s rightful place, Italy. In later years it was believed that he was actually going to work with another person and have someone create replicas and sell them.

It was only after she was stolen that she gained the celebrity that he has today. However she was valued as a spectacular piece of artwork because of the unique

elements the painting has for the period it was created.

Historically, Why is the painting important?

• The Mona Lisa was important because it was one of the first portraits to have the person in a relaxed natural pose, with the hand casually overlapping and casual facial expression.

Historically, Why is the painting important?

• The background in the La Gioconda is a fantasy landscape that could not exist. Where as most paintings of the time were realistic or nothing at all. Perhaps just a black background.

Dada Artist Marcel Duchamp in 1919 took a postcard of the Mona Lisa and wrote in

L.H.O.O.Q. and gave her a mustashe and goatee. The reason he did this was because the

movement he belonged to wanted to destroy traditional values in art and wanted a new type of

art to replace the old one.

DADA

This movement believed in making art for art sake.

The title DADA is a nonsense word to express the idea that art was becoming elitist and only certain people could understand it. They wanted to make art that was just about the object but not with any hidden meaning.

They were being critical and conscious of themselves as artist.

Another one of Duchamp’s is Bicycle Wheel 1951

Duchamp

• When he modified objects, for example by mounting a bicycle wheel on a kitchen stool, he called them "Assisted Readymades.“

Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?

• The painting is unique for it’s time and because of the robbery of 1911 and gaining celebrity status the painting became well known by many people. The fact that it is displayed behind glass makes it seem special. And creates a separation between the viewer and the piece of art. Also with Artist such as Duchamp altering her image it became fair game for advertisers to use.