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Art Critique

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Mona Lisa - Leonardo da

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By: Anna Emond
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Leonardo da Vinci
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Mona Lisa
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Initial Reaction

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Many different thoughts came to my head when looking at this painting including:

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● A sense of determination, contentedness, and satisfaction. Her facial expression

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shows this along with her body position

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● This portrait also has a historical and European feel. When I travelled to Portugal, we
visited many museums with paintings very similar qualities. The techniques and

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colour pallete used along with the painting style itself had strong similarities.
● The main question I have when looking at the Mona Lisa is why it is so popular.

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Obviously it is amazing but why do people travel from all over the world to see a
little 77cm x 53cm painting.

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Analysis and Interpretation

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When looking at this picture some elements and principles include colour, space,

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and texture. This piece doesn’t consist of many colours but does show different
values of the colours it does have. The background shows many shades while the

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Mona Lisa herself includes different shades of brown. The space is used efficiently

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not leaving any negative space. The way this is painted, it shows great texture

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almost making the image look real. The balance between the foreground and
background is even showing unity. Also the size/proportion of the Mona Lisa fits

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well in the whole painting showing togetherness. I think the meaning of this art
work is to show determination. The way she is positioned with her arms crossed

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and her facial expressions shows drive and passion. In today’s society, women are
often told they can’t do certain things in life. I believe that everyone is equal and

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can do anything they set their minds to. “Believe you can and you’re halfway
there” - T.Roosevelt re
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Cultural Context

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The Mona Lisa was painted in Florence Italy, around 1503. This painting was
supposedly not finished over a four year time period. This could mean many things.

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Either it really did take him that long or things went on in his life that affected the

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painting. Florence, Italy was often named the birthplace of the Renaissance.
Following this, trade and political power was rested heavy on Florence. When

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Leonardo was painting, he might of felt pressure for it to turn out perfect. He

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needed to make sure every element was perfect because it would be under a
heavy spotlight at all times. Also, Mona Lisa was a real Fluretime Women which

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also pit lots of pressure. During the 1500’s time period, women would stay at home
and be mothers or housewives. Women took pride in this because they would be

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caring for their children and protecting them from life threatening illness. Leonardo
used specific colours and expressions to show proudness and contentness.

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Aesthetic Judgment

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I think Leonardo has been successful in combining the elements and principles. For
example, shape and contrast. The shape of Mona Lisa herself and the background mesh

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together well almost creating a cohesive look. One thing that I don’t think works well is the
fact that you can’t really see the bottom of the painting. Yes, she is wearing dark clothing

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but it’s almost like the detail vanished from the work. I think Leonardo has expressed a

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content and dominating expression. This doesn’t only show the expression of Mona Lisa
but also the fact the Leonardo is happy with what he has done. It looks like he successfully
completed his painting the way he wanted!!

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