Elements of Art

Art Criticism

                                                                                  Monalisa

           “Probably the most famous painting in the world is Monalisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It is a portrait of a lady called Gherardini and is famous because the lady’s expression is indecipherable. This painting is currently displayed in Louvre, France.” The painting’s subject is Lisa Gherardini. Monalisa translates to “My lady Lisa.” It was painted from about 1503 to 1506, although some estimate he continued to work on the painting until 1517. It was done during the Renaissance time period.

            The painting is dull in color. The background is full of nature, such as trees, water and land. Her face seems to be somewhat not that proud or whatever. She has a half smile, and her eyebrows seem to change her face by making it look more sorrow. That’s my opinion, but there are many other debates about her eyebrows. “Some claim the subject’s lack of eyebrows is representative of high-class fashion of the time. Others insist her AWOL eyebrows are proof that Mona Lisa is an unfinished masterpiece. But in 2007 ultra detailed digital scans of the painting revealed da Vinci had painted on eyebrows and bolder eyelashes. Both had simply faded over time or had fallen victim to years of restoration work.”
        The meaning of the artwork is basically jus a painting of Francesco del Giocondo’s wife. His wife’s enigmatic smile has become one of the most famous images in Western art. I think that the painting just shows how much he loved her. I say this, because he had the time and wanted to paint her. It must be for a reason.

               I don’t think that the cost of the painting should be what it is. I feel like it costs too much. A painting that it’s just about a wife and doesn’t have much meaning to it, shouldn’t be worth a lot. In m opinion, a painting should make us connect to it, so we can picture a story about it, and what we see. It really doesn’t make me communicate an idea about it.