MORE ABOUT

MONA LISA’S
SMILE

Dejan M. Tubic1
University of Prishtina
Kosovo’s Mitrovica,
Art History Department

1
dejantuba64@gmail.com
 MORE ABOUT
MONA LISA’S
SMILE

Summary:
One of the most fascinating phenomena in the history of fine arts is the smile that appears on
the portrait of Mona Lisa. Many art theorists were trying to contribute to the definition of this
intriguing psychological condition which was designed by Leonardo da Vinci on the face of
Giocondo. In the pluralism of different explanations, as the most comprehensive and nearest
to essential to the truth is the psychoanalytic approach of Sigmund Freud. This work confirms
Freud's thesis that the smile of Mona Lisa is product of projections of Leonardo's lack of
maternal love. Such statement is confirmed by the fact that the mysterious smile appears on
all female portrait painted by the Renaissance genius.

Keywords:
Leonardo da Vinci, Sigmund Freud, Smile of Mona Liza, Lack of maternal love
 Contemporary moment macro and mega in the culture of modernism, postmodernism
and/or in the second modern, demands new concepts of interpretation of various phenomena
in the art, which opens the explicit communication with all spheres of human existence.
Newfound knowledge of the essence and the appearance of modern scientific and theoretical
findings are actively involved in the interpretation of art. Traditional methodology to study art
primarily relied on the analysis of the work of art as glimpsed in the context of historical
facts. However, the sterility of knowledge through the device of factography did not allow
penetration into the deeper layers of the structure of art and the artistic. Ontological values of
the art experience constant changes in the temporal, spatial and cultural ambience of the
modernism. Dynamic and modernist morphogenesis of art, imposed by the need to provide
new models of study and research, was based on official and alternative scientific disciplines.

With the entry into the twentieth century, traditional and official theoretical thought,
that is searching for an answer to the questions: what is art, what is art in the art, what are
mechanisms of development of art, at what time the non-artistic transformed into art, was no
longer able to give the answer. For these reasons there appear new spheres and approaches of
researching the art which will be realized in the fields of sociology of art, mathematical
explanation of art, biologist and Darwinian theory, cosmogony in the art, axiology, semantics
and psychology of the art.

Modern social science studies are based on various empirical studies, on the
modalities of statistical observations and making scientific determinations on the basis of
mathematical combinations. The individual becomes part of a global attitude, thinking,
usually obtained through sterile and uniformed instrumentarium questions on which it is
possible to give only that kind of answers. The result of such research is the conscious or
unconscious rejection and neglect of the individual and its spiritual and/or psychological
reality. Autonomy and personality of the person turns into statistical data and mathematical
formulas that can be shaped and defined in the context of different studies depending on the
purpose and needs of the moment and researchers. Such models of scientific truth are present
as a methodological approaches of modern psychology, so from the perspective of psychology
as a science, the interpretation of art and art itself concentrates on non-core and peripheral.

In present day literature, there are a large number of authors 2 who its theoretical and
research proceedings indicate with phrase psychology of art. However, whether all these

2
Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, Alfred Adler, Ernst Kris, Zac Lacan, Lev Vigotski Simenovic, Rudolf
Arnhejm, Predrag Ognjenovic, Vladimir Nesic.
"psychological" forms of theoretical and methodologies approaches really interpret art from
the perspective of psychology and whether that arguments can be placed in the corpus of
psychology of art. The essence of this scientific discipline is based on the dualism of an artist-
artwork. The first sphere from dichotomy reality of psychology of art explores the layered
meaning of the "psyche" of the artist, while the other researches "psychological content" of
work by art itself. This definition rejects the concept of many so far written psychology theory
of art which are primarily represented like paraphrasing and/or like reinterpretation classically
designed art history. In the interpretation of art, such "Psychology of Art" are remained
without complex analysis of the spiritual and psychological aspects of artist being and the
inner essence of artwork.

The psychology of art has to be based on interpretation of psychology of artist and

projection of that psychological particularity on the artist’s work. It is necessary to perceive
the whole aspect of artist’s life and to try to define psychological of his personality. The other
sphere of dual nature of psychology of art would signify the analysis of inner and hidden
contents of the art’s piece. The psychology of art would essentially have to analyze art based
on explicit and impliced contents and clues presented in that work of art.

Freudian-Jungian model of interpretation of art is constantly present to the

contemporary moment. However, depending on the cultural environment and the general
intention of ruling in science, psychologically-psychoanalytical method of explaination of art
is suppressed or even favored in some other moment.

The smile that appears on the portrait of Mona Lisa represents the eternal enigma,
intriguing and hidden content. Mona Lisa's smile was the reason for the emergence of
countless provocative and daring, often trivial theoretical interpretations. Mysterious smile on
Giocondo’s face is probably the dominant content which influenced on it’s planetary
popularity, and, on the many studies, being declared the most popular artifact in the history of
art. However, in addition to acquiring the status of a paradigm of the paradigms, the secret of
„the smile“ remained undiscovered until the end, in fact the secret of „the smile“ was
becoming more and more mysterious. The first major and comprehensive attempt, to explain
the phenomenon of the smile with scientific research, was achieved using a lot of
istrumentariums of psychoanalytic methodology of researching. The analysis and decoding of
Leonardo’s “psyche” and personality, a look into his conscious and unconscious layers of his
psyche, has contributed to the history of art to reach the significant answers. Those were the
arguments and facts which, so far on the most layered way, explained the secret and
fascination of Mona Lisa’s smile.

From Leonardo da Vinchi’s biography3 we learn that he had been early separated from
his mother. Lack of mother’s love had left deep mark on his life and greatly profiled his
artistic creativity. The lack of exchange of emotions and communications between Leonardo
and his mother appears as often subject in his painting, which, above all, can be annotated
through methodology of psychoanalysis.

For Leonardo, relationship between mother and child, in his case with a son, remains
like big secret, because his relationship was filled with big controversies. The ignorance of his
own mother, made big gulf between Leonardo and women, thus woman stays for him the
great unknown. Correspondence on relation mother–son, will be eternal and ever–present
subject in Leonardo’s painting. Unable to get to know his mother, Leonardo tries first to meet
a woman as a different being from himself, which he failed to do till the rest of his life. In that
search, Leonardo’s conscious and unconscious part of being, goes so far away that it actually
examines prenatal period of human existence. Such searching of Leonardo can be confirmed
by his interest in fetus and anatomy of woman’s genitalia (table 3, the first row). Leonardo
achieved up to the initial man's earthly beginning, up to the sexual act. Drawing, on which he
represents the moment of fertilization and creation of new life, in terms of psychoanalysis of
his personality, is also layered intriguing (table 3, the second row). On the left, the drawing
contest gives an insight into the figure of a man who impregnating the woman. Very precise
and anatomically correct, Leonardo presents male and female bodies4, but he replaces a man's
head with the head of the woman. The vision of hermofrodit consciously intensifies with
his/her long hair. Such man performances confirms that Leonardo never managed to realize
his sexual identification.

In Leonardo’s painting, having no mother initiated to favor the motif of Virgin Mary
with baby Jesus. Throught the image of Virgin Mary, he represented a sinless, perfect and
devoted mother, the same one that was missing in his life. The psychoanalytical interpretation
of Leonardo’s personality suggests that the Renaissance genius was compensated lack of

3
Today historiography, from which you can get information about the biography of Leonardo da Vinci, is
extensive. Among other, about Leonardo wrote Edmund Hildebrandt, Dmitrij Sergevic Merezkovskij, Ludovico
Antonio Muratori.
4
Universality of Renaissance genius, Leonardo confirms with his pioneering work in the field of medicine and
searching in the area of human Physicus and its anatomy. Practically, none of the history of medicine today is
not imaginable without the presence of Leonardo's drawings that he worked towards the corpses which were
dissected by himself.
motherly love with laughter and gesticulation represented on Mona Lisa’s face. That also
explains the fact that Leonardo kept that painting in his own property for a long time. The
tendency to fill the void of not having a mother by having a portrait of Mona Lisa does not
only stand out within her lips, it also stand from the expression of her eyes, the glance that
also missed to Leonardo and which was reflected on the face of Giocondo.

Today there are numerous portraits of women that were painted by Leonardo, so a
logical question arises, why the painter’s motherly smile was only projected on the Mona Lisa
portrait and whether the smile and glance are presented on the faces of his other female
portraits. The answer could be found within the conclusion that the same “motherly” smile
and glance full of love does not only appear on the portrait of Mona Lisa, it is also presented
on almost all other faces which Leonardo drew or painted. With simple analysis of others
Leonardo’s female portraits, we come to the conclusion that the same Mona Lisa’s smile
appears almost on all his paintings on which he represented portrait of women. By observing
and simple comparative analysis of Mona Lisa and his other portraits of women we can see
that that is true (table 1.)

The fact, that the mysterious smile of Mona Lisa on Leonardo’s female portraits was
not only empty manner, gesture, aesthetic sign, facial spasm, subjective art form5, confirms
Leonardo’s paintings and drawings on which there are none portraits of women. On many
Leonardo’s portraits of men, judges, policians, statesmen, on self-portrait, portraits-
caricatures, and also on smaller number of female portraits, the painter couldn’t or didn’t want
to project mothers smile.

Examiners of Leonardo's work and life exposed different views about his sexual
orientation. Many indications point out that he had homosexual tendencies. Leonardo`s
pictures with the young John the Baptist are very unusual, original and deeply personal. In the
pictures the young man appears like ephebus, whose full affiliatio by the facial physiognomy
can not be determined. Surprisingly, the same Monaliza`s intriguing lips and eyes smile
appears on these portraits of the young John the Baptist. Based on these facts, it is possible to
assume, that in the form of a young John, painter designed face of young man to whom he
harbored a certain sympathy and whose love he needed. In any case, it's about him dear
person whose presence he was constantly needded. Almost the same, idealized face appears
on the face of the Holy Apostle John the theologian and Evangelist, presented on the frescoes

5
Some attempts to explain the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile
of Last Supper in Santa Maria delle Grazie (table 2, the second row). On the face of the young
man-ephebus Leonardo reflected intrigue of Mona Lisa`s smile, primarily as characterized by
"lack of maternal love", and this time, the same, he reflected in the face of the young apostle
and evangelist John. Essentially, based on the psychological profile, John's face is
immaculate, virgin, mother, the same that occurs with the Mona Lisa, Leonardo's Virgin and
his other female portraits. The smile deepened searching for the essence of art in Leonardo's
oeuvre, but also inevitable of psychological-psychoanalytic interpretation and the search for
essential content of Art.

At the end of this brief elaboration of a sphere of Leonardo's personality and/or one
segment of the true geniuses of the Renaissance it is necessary to emphasize that Leonardo
himself was deeply contemplative person, who was fascinated by the phenomenon of time
and ephemerality of life. Self-portrait of Leonardo-philosopher confirms this his
interests. Leonardo paints mystic-old man who is watching the flowing water swirled around
the pillar, passing by, and draws a parallel between the movement of the water and the
movement of the time (table 3, the third row). Water flows rate and time is unstoppable,
Leonardo becomes aware of the inevitability of transience, old age and approaching
death. The personification of the passage of time, which appears in the form of an old man-
philosopher with long hair and beard on Leonardo's drawing, becomes common and generally
accepted motif from the Renaissance period. That drawing was created during Leonardo's old
age, and it represses the memory of the painter and the need for the mother's love. Initial idea
of that Leonardo’s drawing is close to subject vanitas and memento mori. It was the period in
which the painter suppressed his past and was turned to uncertain and unknown future. In that
period “Mona Lisa’s smile” occurs as dominant subject and content of his painting.

Psychoanalysis as scientific concept, as medical treatment of Sigmund Freud and Carl

Gustav Jung, provoked revolution, scientific and cultural excess in the study and
interpretation of inner life and/or psyche of men. Soon enough the theorists of art realized that
the discoveries within the sphere of hidden worlds of human psyche can be very creative in
interpreting different layers and structures of art. Without Freud-Jung understanding and
interpreting of Leonardo’s psyche and ontological essence of his personality, inner, hidden,
symbolic phenomen of Mona Lisa’s smile would still exist in darkness.
Таble 1.
Leonardo da Vinci (self-portrait), the old man who watches the flow of water.
Таble 2.
+
Тable 3.
Résumé

Dans le cadre de l'histoire d'art, l'image de Mona Lisa se présente en tant que paradigme
supérieure. Les théoriciens d'art ont en vain essayé de déchifrer l’énigme, aussi que l'unicité
de ce tableau. Un grand nombre de nouvelles théories ont apparut entretemps mais aucune
d'elles n'a pas réussi de donner des réponses valables au niveau acribique et essence
scientifique. La première expliquation du secret ''du sourire de Mona Lisa'' provient des
recherches systématiques qui a donné Sigmund Freud. Partant de sa nouvelle théorie sur la
psychoanalyse Freud remonte un profil psycologique de Leonardo da Vinci. Dans ses
recherches il constate que Leonardo était de tout petit séparé de sa mère et que le manque de
l'amour maternelle a influencé sur le profil psychologique de sa personnalité. Son
grandisment sans mère s'est directement reflecté sur sa peinture de portrait. Le manque de la
mère Leonardo a montré d'une manière fascinante et tout a fait directe sur le visage de
Gioconda. Ce fait prouve que ''Mona Lisa'' est restée longtemps chez le peintre. Aussi on se
rend compte que le sourire que nous rencontrons chez Mona Lisa, on le retrouve prèsque sur
les visages de toutes les femmes que Leonardo a peintes. Li visage idealisé de la mère,
Leonardo l'a projetté aussi sur les visages des jeunes hommes-les efebos qu'il a présenté sur
les images de Jean le Baptiste et Jean l'Evangeliste. Dans ses recherches dans la découverte
du mystère des raports entre mère et enfant, Leonardo va très loin, élargissant les limites et,
conscieusment ou inconsciement, il atteint aux temps prénataux. Sur ses desseins Leonardo
présente des images de l'utérus et du foetus. Sur certaints desseins il va même jusqu'à l'act
séxuel, c'est-à-dire, jusqu'au moment même de la conception de l'enfant dans l'intérieur de la
mère.