Comparison Of Isabella D Este And Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

When comparing modern day beauty, such as that of Gisele Bundchen, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Middleton to the works created during the High Renaissance and Mannerism area, there are many similarities found alongside several differences.

While certain aspects of fashions have changed with the ages, others seem to remain timeless. Long, lustrous and thick hair has for the most part continually remained popular, particularly among women. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa appears to be wearing a thin veil covering her curly hair, her hair is otherwise worn long, over the shoulders and with a straight part down the center. While there are aspects of this image that are different, the overall style of her hair is comparable to that of Kate Middleton,
Nowhere is this more clearly depicted than in Titian’s painting of Isabella d’Este. At the time the painting took place, Isabella D’Este would have been in her 60’s, yet at her request, Titian created the painting instead as she would have appeared in her 20’s (cite book). Even when the subject is from within the artist's own mind, such as Venus in Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Bronzino, a woman is depicted with a youthful appearance, free of wrinkles and any of the other telltale signs we must all face with age. In modern times, the appearance of aging is so strongly avoided, that according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2014 alone, just over 13 million people in the US willing underwent medically unnecessary minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures, such as Botox and Juvederm (ASPS, 2015). The main purpose of these injectable drugs being to reduce and prevent the signs of natural aging and maintaining a youthful
Angelina Jolie and Gisele Bundchen both have what would be considered tanned skin. In the case of Angelina Jolie in particular, this coloring to her skin is not natural, and in numerous images of her is often enhanced artificially. Conversely, the paintings of Isabella d’Este and Mona Lisa, among numerous other, shows women of this time period having fair skin. The exception to this is the image of Kate Middleton, who in contrast to her modern day counterparts, does not share in this appearance of tanned skin, yet more closely mimics that of the royalty Isabella d’Este. Perhaps to some extent, the belief that having skin that would otherwise be fair become tanned by the sun is for the “working class” and not the wealthy, has carried over even into today’s modern views. An even more superfluous depiction of fair skin is shown in Allegory with Venus and Cupid. Venus, Cupid, and a putto are all portrayed in exaggerated poses only further making noticeable their extremely pale white