The Mona Lisa, perhaps the most famous painting in the world, is a testament to the greatness, vitality and creativity of Western Civilization.
The lady immortalized in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece has intrigued and bewitched art lovers for centuries.
What secrets does her smile convey; is it a lover’s exchange or does it speak of maternal concern? Is she da Vinci’s maid, lover or colleague? And what’s up with the no-eyebrows thing?
From Reuters:
“Mona Lisa had just given birth to her second son when she sat for the painting, a French art expert said on Tuesday.
The discovery was made by a team of Canadian scientists who used special infrared and three-dimensional technology to peer through hitherto impenetrable paint layers on the work, which now sits in the Louvre museum in Paris.”
Art is not mathematics, in art 1 +1 can equal 3. Art is not bound by the laws of physics, an artist is limited only by his imagination. Art should not be analyzed by scientists, but enjoyed by art lovers from every walk of life.
These Canadian eggheads are robbing da Vinci’s masterpiece of its mystery. Who was Mona Lisa – every one will have a different opinion. In Mona Lisa I see the smile of a soul who shares my appreciation for the sense of the absurd. But a fundamentalist might look at the divine lady and see a saint who is bemused by the wonders of God.
Great art inspires questions more than in provides answers. We don’t need to know that Mona Lisa had just given birth anymore than we need to know why she doesn’t have eyebrows.
The scientists used infrared and three-dimensional technology to steal Mona Lisa’s secrets. But with my imagination Mona Lisa can be anything I want her to be. Mona Lisa’s mysteries are best explored with the naked eye.
