Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa": the quintessence of Renaissance genius captured in a smile: analysis

Renowned as the most famous painting globally, the "Mona Lisa" attracts approximately 20,000 visitors daily, all eager to catch a glimpse of this masterpiece. While the crowds can be overwhelming, the painting's fame is well-deserved. Who is the woman behind the enigmatic smile?
Why does her gaze seem to follow us?
The "Mona Lisa" is celebrated for its remarkable illusion of depth and the ethereal softness that envelops the subject's face.
This portrait encapsulates the mystery surrounding Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), a Renaissance polymath known for his fascination with hidden meanings. Key Insights Leonardo employed his signature sfumato technique to create the dreamlike landscape in the background, skillfully blending contours with around twenty layers of transparent glaze. The painting, which began around 1503, accompanied Leonardo to France, where he is believed to have continued refining it until his death.
The identity of the model has long been a topic of intrigue. While some speculate that it may depict Salai, Leonardo's androgynous assistant and possible lover, recent evidence suggests it is more likely Lisa del Giocondo (1479–1542), the wife of a Florentine fabric merchant.
The painting's notoriety was further amplified when it was stolen by Italian Vincenzo Peruggia from 1911 to 1913. Viewing the Masterpiece The "Mona Lisa" resides in the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, which attracts around 10 million visitors annually, nearly half of whom come specifically to see this painting. Accessing the artwork requires navigating through extensive security lines reminiscent of an amusement park, often overshadowing other Italian masterpieces in the Salle des États, such as Veronese's "Wedding at Cana" (1562), which is displayed directly opposite. Analysis
The Mona Lisa is a work by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian Renaissance painter. It was painted on an oil on wood support and measuring 77X53 cm, during the years 1503-1505. The Mona Lisa is seated, in the center of the painting, on a terrace, in a wooden seat, with a small wall behind her. Her bust is at an angle to us while her head is turned more to the right towards the viewer, almost full face. Her gaze is even more to the side. She has her hands crossed, her left forearm is placed along the armrest of the seat. Mona Lisa wears a simple, sober, and dark dress, except for the end of the sleeves which are golden and have many folds. Her low-cut dress lets us see her neck and chest. She wears a scarf that we can see going down her left arm, as well as a veil on her hair which is undone. She sketches a smile. In the background, there is a dark landscape made up of high rocks, mountains, winding paths and valleys. There is no clear and precise outline to define the limits of the objects, the landscape or the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci used the light, coming from the right of the painting, the light/dark contrasts to delineate the contours. The dominant colors of the painting are dark, ranging from the blue of the sky in the background to the gold of the Mona Lisa's sleeves passing through shades of gray and ochre. For the perspective, Leonardo da Vinci used the "perspective of erasure", "lo sfumato"; he blurs the shapes, the deeper he paints something, the more the contours fade. The Mona Lisa has never been definitely identified. This portrait is thought to represent Mona Lisa Gheradini, wife of a Florentine, Francesco del Giocondo, hence the name Mona Lisa, which also comes from the fact that gioconda, in Italian, means serene and joyful. Da Vinci is said to have left Florence before completing his commission, but no trace of a commission has been found for this portrait. This painting is situated towards the end of Da Vinci's career as a painter, taking into account the fact that the artist, in his last years (from 1516) almost no longer devoted himself to painting. Several elements of this painting allow us to recognize it as dating from the Renaissance. Before the Renaissance it would not have been conceivable that a non-sovereign person could be the main subject of a painting. It was in the years 1420-1440 that three-quarter portraits appeared from Flemish painters such as Jan van Eyck in "The Man with the Carnation". The image was no longer embellished, on the contrary, every defect was noted. It was in 1500 that Italy began to follow this movement and to take an interest in portraiture by getting as close as possible to reality. The Mona Lisa is a fine example of this. vwart.com