mona lisa

Critical Analysis: Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
By: Kelsie Ford
Art Appreciation ART 1113V1
September 24, 2014 Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. Born out of wedlock, the love child of a respected notary and a young peasant woman, he was raised by his father, Ser Piero, and his stepmothers. At the age of 14, da Vinci began apprenticing with the artist Verrocchio. For six years, he learned a wide breadth of technical skills, including metalworking, leather arts, carpentry, drawing and sculpting. By the age of 20, he had qualified as a master artist in the Guild of Saint Luke and established his own workshop. Many doesn’t know, Florentine court records show that da Vinci was charged with and acquitted of sodomy at the age of 22, and for two years, his whereabouts went entirely undocumented.
In 1482, Leonardo left Florence for Milan, where he became official artist to Lodovico Sforza, duke of the city. Leonardo undertook many projects in that time period. Leonardo remained with Sforza until the latter’s fall from power in 1499, after which he returned to Florence. Sketches and written records indicate that Leonardo worked as a sculptor, but no examples remained. Only about a dozen of paintings can be definitely attributed to him, and several are left unfinished. There are hundreds of drawings and thousands of pages from his notebook that testify to the man being an extraordinary genius.
He was many things, writer, mathematician, inventor, and artist. Leonardo da Vinci was a leading artist and intellectual of the Italian Renaissance who 's known for his enduring works "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa.” The Mona Lisa is perhaps Leonardo Da Vinci 's most famous of paintings. It is an oil painting, painted on poplar wood. The painting is most famous for the smile of the woman, which people have been trying to decipher for a long time. Many believe that the portrait is that of Da Vinci himself, while many also place a lot mystic connections with this painting. The portrait depicts a woman 's bust, with a distant landscape that is visible in the backdrop. Leonardo used a pyramid design to install the woman in a simple and calm manner within the painting. The woman is shown with her hands folded, with her breast, neck, and face painted the same color as her hands. The light is diffused so that the various curves and geometrical shapes on the painting are made visible through it. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the painting is the woman 's smile. Many believe that it is innocent and inviting; while others believe it is that of smugness and is a smirk. Many scientific studies have been undertaken to determine the exact nature of the smile and the real reason remains a mystery. It is believed that every person sees the smile differently because of the changes in the lighting that Leonardo presented. The woman is shown seated in an open area, and behind her is a vast landscape, which recedes to an icy mountain. Some winding paths and a faraway bridge is also perceptible in the background. The painting is an amazing one and one should definitely take a look at it in order to appreciate its full beauty. The painting is currently on display at the Musee du Louvre, in Paris.
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci contains many elements and principles of art in its beautiful and “ideal” portrait. This piece of art was completed in 1519 and is the prototype of the Renaissance portrait. There are many forms of elements in this piece such as line, color, texture, shape, and value. There are also some principles of art; emphasis, digital movement, harmony and balance. Leonardo da Vinci uses all of these elements and principles in The Mona Lisa which make it such an important contribution to the world of art.

Leonardo da Vinci has shown us many forms of elements in this famous piece such as line, color, texture, shape, and value. There is the element line used in this piece of art to show implied outlines. These are found on The Mona Lisa’s hands which creates a texture. Another element is color. Although the colors are dull, red, yellow, and blue are used throughout the piece to add color, and balance. It looks like Leonardo da Vinci the colors to blend from red to yellow, and finally blue in the background. Texture is the degree of roughness and smoothness in an object and is shown in the Mona Lisa through her clothing.
Bibliography:
Living With Art 10th edition
Mark Getlien
Pg. 143

Bibliography: Living With Art 10th edition Mark Getlien Pg. 143