One morning before work, I went to visit the National Geographic Museum. Since I didn’t have to be at the office until 12pm that day, I wanted to find something within walking distance that I haven’t had the chance to visit yet. As mentioned in previous posts, the museum has two displays: Design for the other 90% exhibit and the Da Vinci exhibit.
The Da Vinci exhibit was my favorite of the two. It showed a variety of objects ranging from a depiction of Da Vinci’s “ideal city” and a 360-degree mirror. But my favorite part of the exhibit was the section on the Mona Lisa painting.
The exhibit outlines the “Secrets of Mona Lisa” by pointing out the not so obvious features of the painting such as the fact that she has no eyebrows, there are three levels of nature in the background, and that she is actually wearing a veil.
I found this exhibit particularly interesting because I’ve seen the Mona Lisa painting (housed in the Louvre in Paris) twice and both times I never recognized the things that they pointed out. Since the original painting is actually quite small, the exhibits uses a blown up black and white version of the portrait to point out the details. Without this feature, I might have never known about the “secrets” of the Mona Lisa portrait.
-M.A.
I had the rare privilege of visiting the Louvre and never notice any of these "secrets." There is a DVD "Mona Lisa Revealed: Secrets of the Painting" which reveals the 26 secrets of the Mona Lisa painting. Here is a clip about the DVD:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hn5MmMzspA&feature=player_embedded
ReplyDeleteInteresting fact:In 1911, an Italian house painter stole the painting from the Louvre Museum. I wonder if he left a mark on the Mona Lisa?
-OI
When I was at Savannah College of Art and Design I studied Da Vinci and his mathematical concept called "The Golden Ratio," so I randomly know this...
ReplyDeleteThe painter Louis Béroud did not steal the Mona Lisa; it was actually Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia. Louis Béroud was the one that found the painting was stolen and was questioned. Even Pablo Picasso was questioned about the theft.
Damage to the painting has come from two instances of vandalism. In the 50’s there was an instance of acid being thrown on the painting and within the same year a vandal threw a rock at the painting.
-Helene
In my research on the mona lisa painting, I discovered that the figure depicted is actually an anagram for the Egyptian gods of fertility, Amon and Isis. The figure is in fact androgynous and was not even titled Mona Lisa at the time of its painting.
ReplyDeleteAS
p.s. thanks Dan Brown