Mona Lisa Italian: Gioconda, Monna Lisa See adjacent text. The Mona Lisa digitally retouched to reduce the effects of aging; the unretouched image is slightly darker.[1][2][3] Artist Leonardo da Vinci Year c. 1503–1506, perhaps continuing until c. 1517 Medium Oil on poplar panel Subject Lisa del Giocondo Dimensions 77 cm × 53 cm (30 in × 21 in) Location Louvre, Paris The Mona Lisa (/ˌmoʊnə ˈliːsə/ MOH-nə LEE-sə; Italian: Gioconda [dʒoˈkonda] or Monna Lisa [ˈmɔnna ˈliːza]; French: Joconde [ʒɔkɔ̃d]) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance,[4][5] it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, [and] the most parodied work of art in the world".[6] The painting's novel qualities include the subject's enigmatic expression,[7] monumentality of the composition, the subtle modelling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism.[8] The painting has been traditionally considered to depict the Italian noblewoman Lisa del Giocondo.[9] It is painted in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel. Leonardo never gave the painting to the Giocondo family, and it is believed he later left it in his will to his favored apprentice Salaì.[10] It was believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506; however, Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517. It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic. It has been on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris since 1797.[11] The painting's global fame and popularity stem from its 1911 theft by Vincenzo Peruggia, who attributed his actions to Italian patriotism—a belief it should belong to Italy. The theft and subsequent recovery in 1914 generated unprecedented publicity for an art theft, and led to the publication of many cultural depictions such as the 1915 opera Mona Lisa, two early 1930s films (The Theft of the Mona Lisa and Arsène Lupin) and the song Mona Lisa recorded by Nat King Cole—one of the most successful songs of the 1950s.[12] The Mona Lisa is one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known painting insurance valuation in history at US$100 million in 1962,[13] equivalent to $1 billion as of 2023.[14] Title and subject A margin note by Agostino Vespucci (visible at right) discovered in a book at Heidelberg University. Dated 1503, it states that Leonardo was working on a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo.[15][16] The title of the painting, which is known in English as Mona Lisa, is based on the presumption that it depicts Lisa del Giocondo, although her likeness is uncertain. Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari wrote that "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife."[17][18][19][20] Monna in Italian is a polite form of address originating as ma donna—similar to Ma'am, Madam, or my lady in English. This became madonna, and its contraction monna. The title of the painting, though traditionally spelled Mona in English, is spelled in Italian as Monna Lisa (mona being a vulgarity in Italian), but this is rare in English.[21][22] Lisa del Giocondo was a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany, and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.[23] The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.[24] The Italian name for the painting, La Gioconda, means 'jocund' ('happy' or 'jovial') or, literally, 'the jocund one', a pun on the feminine form of Lisa's married name, Giocondo.[23][25] In French, the title La Joconde has the same meaning. Vasari's account of the Mona Lisa comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550, 31 years after the artist's death. It has long been the best-known source of information on the provenance of the work and identity of the sitter. Leonardo's assistant Salaì, at his death in 1524, owned a portrait which in his personal papers was named la Gioconda, a painting bequeathed to him by Leonardo.[citation needed] That Leonardo painted such a work, and its date, were confirmed in 2005 when a scholar at Heidelberg University discovered a marginal note in a 1477 printing of a volume by ancient Roman philosopher Cicero. Dated October 1503, the note was written by Leonardo's contemporary Agostino Vespucci. This note likens Leonardo to renowned Greek painter Apelles, who is mentioned in the text, and states that Leonardo was at that time working on a painting of Lisa del Giocondo.[26] In response to the announcement of the discovery of this document, Vincent Delieuvin, the Louvre representative, stated "Leonardo da Vinci was painting, in 1503, the portrait of a Florentine lady by the name of Lisa del Giocondo. About this we are now certain. Unfortunately, we cannot be absolutely certain that this portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is the painting of the Louvre."[27] The catalogue raisonné Leonardo da Vinci (2019) confirms that the painting probably depicts Lisa del Giocondo, with Isabella d'Este being the only plausible alternative.[28] Scholars have developed several alternative views, arguing that Lisa del Giocondo was the subject of a different portrait, and identifying at least four other paintings referred to by Vasari as the Mona Lisa.[29] Several other people have been proposed as the subject of the painting,[30] including Isabella of Aragon,[31] Cecilia Gallerani,[32] Costanza d'Avalos, Duchess of Francavilla,[30] Pacifica Brandano/Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, Caterina Sforza, Bianca Giovanna Sforza, Salaì, and even Leonardo himself.[33][34][35] Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud theorized that Leonardo imparted an approving smile from his mother, Caterina, onto the Mona Lisa and other works.[36][37] Description Detail of the background (right side) The Mona Lisa bears a strong resemblance to many Renaissance depictions of the Virgin Mary, who was at that time seen as an ideal for womanhood.[38] The woman sits markedly upright in a "pozzetto" armchair with her arms folded, a sign of her reserved posture. Her gaze is fixed on the observer. The woman appears alive to an unusual extent, which Leonardo achieved by his method of not drawing outlines (sfumato). The soft blending creates an ambiguous mood "mainly in two features: the corners of the mouth, and the corners of the eyes".[39] The depiction of the sitter in three-quarter profile is similar to late 15th-century works by Lorenzo di Credi and Agnolo di Domenico del Mazziere.[38] Zöllner notes that the sitter's general position can be traced back to Flemish models and that "in particular the vertical slices of columns at both sides of the panel had precedents in Flemish portraiture."[40] Woods-Marsden cites Hans Memling's portrait of Benedetto Portinari (1487) or Italian imitations such as Sebastiano Mainardi's pendant portraits for the use of a loggia, which has the effect of mediating between the sitter and the distant landscape, a feature missing from Leonardo's earlier portrait of Ginevra de' Benci.[41] Detail of Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left. Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife.[42] The painting was one of the first Italian portraits to depict the sitter in front of an imaginary landscape,[43] and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use aerial perspective.[44] The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her, a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains, winding paths and a distant bridge, giving only the slightest indications of human presence. Leonardo has chosen to place the horizon line not at the neck, as he did with Ginevra de' Benci, but on a level with the eyes, thus linking the figure with the landscape and emphasizing the mysterious nature of the painting.[41] The bridge in the background was identified by Silvano Vincenti as the four-arched Romito di Laterina bridge from Etruscan-Roman times near Laterina, Arezzo over the Arno river.[45] Other bridges with similar arches suggested as possible locations had more arches.[45] Mona Lisa has no clearly visible eyebrows or eyelashes, although Vasari describes the eyebrows in detail.[46][a] In 2007, French engineer Pascal Cotte announced that his ultra-high resolution scans of the painting provide evidence that Mona Lisa was originally painted with eyelashes and eyebrows, but that these had gradually disappeared over time, perhaps as a result of overcleaning.[49] Cotte discovered that the painting had been reworked several times, with changes made to the size of the face and the direction of gaze. He also found that in one layer the subject was depicted wearing numerous hairpins and a headdress adorned with pearls which was later scrubbed out and overpainted.[50] There has been much speculation regarding the painting's model and landscape. For example, Leonardo probably painted his model faithfully since her beauty is not seen as being among the best, "even when measured by late quattrocento (15th century) or even twenty-first century standards."[51] Some historians in Eastern art, such as Yukio Yashiro, argue that the landscape in the background of the picture was influenced by Chinese paintings,[52] but this thesis has been contested for lack of clear evidence.[52] Research in 2003 by Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University said that Mona Lisa's smile disappears when observed with direct vision, known as foveal. Because of the way the human eye processes visual information, it is less suited to pick up shadows directly; however, peripheral vision can pick up shadows well.[53] Research in 2008 by a geomorphology professor at Urbino University and an artist-photographer revealed that Mona Lisa's landscape was similar to some views in the Montefeltro region in the Italian provinces of Pesaro and Urbino, and Rimini.[54][55] History Creation and date Of Leonardo da Vinci's works, the Mona Lisa is the only portrait whose authenticity has never been seriously questioned,[56] and one of four works – the others being Saint Jerome in the Wilderness, Adoration of the Magi and The Last Supper – whose attribution has avoided controversy.[57] He had begun working on a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the model of the Mona Lisa, by October 1503.[26][27] It is believed by some that the Mona Lisa was begun in 1503 or 1504 in Florence.[58] Although the Louvre states that it was "doubtless painted between 1503 and 1506",[8] art historian Martin Kemp says that there are some difficulties in confirming the dates with certainty.[23] Alessandro Vezzosi believes that the painting is characteristic of Leonardo's style in the final years of his life, post-1513.[59] Other academics argue that, given the historical documentation, Leonardo would have painted the work from 1513.[60] According to Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, [he] left it unfinished".[18] In 1516, Leonardo was invited by King Francis I to work at the Clos Lucé near the Château d'Amboise; it is believed that he took the Mona Lisa with him and continued to work on it after he moved to France.[33] Art historian Carmen C. Bambach has concluded that Leonardo probably continued refining the work until 1516 or 1517.[61] Leonardo's right hand was paralytic c. 1517,[62] which may indicate why he left the Mona Lisa unfinished.[63][64][65][b] Raphael's drawing (c. 1505), after Leonardo; today in the Louvre along with the Mona Lisa[67] c. 1505,[67] Raphael executed a pen-and-ink sketch, in which the columns flanking the subject are more apparent. Experts universally agree that it is based on Leonardo's portrait.[68][69][70] Other later copies of the Mona Lisa, such as those in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design and The Walters Art Museum, also display large flanking columns. As a result, it was thought that the Mona Lisa had been trimmed.[71][72][73][74] However, by 1993, Frank Zöllner observed that the painting surface had never been trimmed;[75] this was confirmed through a series of tests in 2004.[76] In view of this, Vincent Delieuvin, curator of 16th-century Italian painting at the Louvre, states that the sketch and these other copies must have been inspired by another version,[77] while Zöllner states that the sketch may be after another Leonardo portrait of the same subject.[75] The record of an October 1517 visit by Louis d'Aragon states that the Mona Lisa was executed for the deceased Giuliano de' Medici, Leonardo's steward at Belvedere, Vienna, between 1513 and 1516[78][79][c]—but this was likely an error.[80][d] According to Vasari, the painting was created for the model's husband, Francesco del Giocondo.[81] A number of experts have argued that Leonardo made two versions (because of the uncertainty concerning its dating and commissioner, as well as its fate following Leonardo's death in 1519, and the difference of details in Raphael's sketch—which may be explained by the possibility that he made the sketch from memory).[67][70][69][82] The hypothetical first portrait, displaying prominent columns, would have been commissioned by Giocondo circa 1503, and left unfinished in Leonardo's pupil and assistant Salaì's possession until his death in 1524. The second, commissioned by Giuliano de' Medici circa 1513, would have been sold by Salaì to Francis I in 1518[e] and is the one in the Louvre today.[70][69][82][83] Others believe that there was only one true Mona Lisa but are divided as to the two aforementioned fates.[23][84][85] At some point in the 16th century, a varnish was applied to the painting.[3] It was kept at the Palace of Fontainebleau until Louis XIV moved it to the Palace of Versailles, where it remained until the French Revolution.[86] In 1797, it went on permanent display at the Louvre.[11] Refuge, theft, and vandalism Louis Béroud's 1911 painting depicting Mona Lisa displayed in the Louvre before the theft, which Béroud discovered and reported to the guards After the French Revolution, the painting was moved to the Louvre, but spent a brief period in the bedroom of Napoleon (d. 1821) in the Tuileries Palace.[86] The Mona Lisa was not widely known outside the art world, but in the 1860s, a portion of the French intelligentsia began to hail it as a masterwork of Renaissance painting.[87] During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), the painting was moved from the Louvre to the Brest Arsenal.[88] In 1911, the painting was still not popular among the lay-public.[89] On 21 August 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre.[90] The painting was first missed the next day by painter Louis Béroud. After some confusion as to whether the painting was being photographed somewhere, the Louvre was closed for a week for investigation. French poet Guillaume Apollinaire came under suspicion and was arrested and imprisoned. Apollinaire implicated his friend Pablo Picasso, who was brought in for questioning. Both were later exonerated.[91][92] The real culprit was Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who had helped construct the painting's glass case.[93] He carried out the theft by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet, and walking out with the painting hidden under his coat after the museum had closed.[25] Vacant wall in the Louvre's Salon Carré after the painting was stolen in 1911 "La Joconde est Retrouvée" ("Mona Lisa is Found"), Le Petit Parisien, 13 December 1913 The Mona Lisa in the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, 1913. Museum director Giovanni Poggi (right) inspects the painting. Excelsior, "La Joconde est Revenue" ("The Mona Lisa has returned"), 1 January 1914 Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed that Leonardo's painting should have been returned to an Italian museum.[94] Peruggia may have been motivated by an associate whose copies of the original would significantly rise in value after the painting's theft.[95] After having kept the Mona Lisa in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to Giovanni Poggi, director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It was exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery for over two weeks and returned to the Louvre on 4 January 1914.[96] Peruggia served six months in prison for the crime and was hailed for his patriotism in Italy.[92] A year after the theft, Saturday Evening Post journalist Karl Decker wrote that he met an alleged accomplice named Eduardo de Valfierno, who claimed to have masterminded the theft. Forger Yves Chaudron was to have created six copies of the painting to sell in the US while concealing the location of the original.[95] Decker published this account of the theft in 1932.[97][12] During World War II, it was again removed from the Louvre and taken first to the Château d'Amboise, then to the Loc-Dieu Abbey and Château de Chambord, then finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban.[12][98] On 30 December 1956, Bolivian Ugo Ungaza Villegas threw a rock at the Mona Lisa while it was on display at the Louvre. He did so with such force that it shattered the glass case and dislodged a speck of pigment near the left elbow.[99] The painting was protected by glass because a few years earlier a man who claimed to be in love with the painting had cut it with a razor blade and tried to steal it.[100] Since then, bulletproof glass has been used to shield the painting from any further attacks. Subsequently, on 21 April 1974, while the painting was on display at the Tokyo National Museum, a woman sprayed it with red paint as a protest against that museum's failure to provide access for disabled people.[101] On 2 August 2009, a Russian woman, distraught over being denied French citizenship, threw a ceramic teacup purchased at the Louvre; the vessel shattered against the glass enclosure.[102][103] In both cases, the painting was undamaged. In recent decades, the painting has been temporarily moved to accommodate renovations to the Louvre on three occasions: between 1992 and 1995, from 2001 to 2005, and again in 2019.[104] A new queuing system introduced in 2019 reduces the amount of time museum visitors have to wait in line to see the painting. After going through the queue, a group has about 30 seconds to see the painting.[105] On 29 May 2022, a male activist, disguised as a woman in a wheelchair, threw cake at the protective glass covering the painting in an apparent attempt to raise awareness for climate change.[106] The painting was not damaged.[107] The man was arrested and placed in psychiatric care in the police headquarters.[108] An investigation was opened after the Louvre filed a complaint.[109] Modern analysis In the early 21st century, French scientist Pascal Cotte hypothesized a hidden portrait underneath the surface of the painting. He analyzed the painting in the Louvre with reflective light technology beginning in 2004, and produced circumstantial evidence for his theory.[110][111][112] Cotte admits that his investigation was carried out only in support of his hypotheses and should not be considered as definitive proof.[111][84] The underlying portrait appears to be of a model looking to the side, and lacks flanking columns,[113] but does not fit with historical descriptions of the painting. Both Vasari and Gian Paolo Lomazzo describe the subject as smiling,[17][114] unlike the subject in Cotte's supposed portrait.[111][84] In 2020, Cotte published a study alleging that the painting has an underdrawing, transferred from a preparatory drawing via the spolvero technique.[115] Conservation The tourist's view in 2015 The Mona Lisa has survived for more than 500 years, and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that "the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation."[76] It has never been fully restored,[116] so the current condition is partly due to a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone. A detailed analysis in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint."[76] Nevertheless, applications of varnish made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the 16th century, and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and revarnishing removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer, resulting in a washed-out appearance to the face of the figure. Despite the treatments, the Mona Lisa has been well cared for throughout its history, and although the panel's warping caused the curators "some worry",[117] the 2004–05 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work.[76] Poplar panel At some point, the Mona Lisa was removed from its original frame. The unconstrained poplar panel warped freely with changes in humidity, and as a result, a crack developed near the top of the panel, extending down to the hairline of the figure. In the mid-18th century to early 19th century, two butterfly-shaped walnut braces were inserted into the back of the panel to a depth of about one third the thickness of the panel. This intervention was skilfully executed, and successfully stabilized the crack. Sometime between 1888 and 1905, or perhaps during the picture's theft, the upper brace fell out. A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth.[118][119] The picture is kept under strict, climate-controlled conditions in its bulletproof glass case. The humidity is maintained at 50% ±10%, and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21 °C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity, the case is supplemented with a bed of silica gel treated to provide 55% relative humidity.[76] Frame Because the Mona Lisa's poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the picture has experienced some warping. In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during World War II, and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honour the anniversary of Leonardo's 500th birthday, the Mona Lisa was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces. This flexible frame, which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below, exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further. In 1970, the beech crosspieces were switched to maple after it was found that the beechwood had been infested with insects. In 2004–05, a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with sycamore ones, and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel's warp.[citation needed] The Mona Lisa has had many different decorative frames in its history, owing to changes in taste over the centuries. In 1909, the art collector Comtesse de Béhague gave the portrait its current frame,[120] a Renaissance-era work consistent with the historical period of the Mona Lisa. The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames, but no part of the original paint layer has been trimmed.[76] Cleaning and touch-up The first and most extensive recorded cleaning, revarnishing, and touch-up of the Mona Lisa was an 1809 wash and revarnishing undertaken by Jean-Marie Hooghstoel, who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the Musée Napoléon. The work involved cleaning with spirits, touch-up of colour, and revarnishing the painting. In 1906, Louvre restorer Eugène Denizard performed watercolour retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel. Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish, to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame. In 1913, when the painting was recovered after its theft, Denizard was again called upon to work on the Mona Lisa. Denizard was directed to clean the picture without solvent, and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with watercolour. In 1952, the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out. After the second 1956 attack, restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage to Mona Lisa's left elbow with watercolour.[76] In 1977, a new insect infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping. This was treated on the spot with carbon tetrachloride, and later with an ethylene oxide treatment. In 1985, the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure.[76] Display On 6 April 2005—following a period of curatorial maintenance, recording, and analysis—the painting was moved to a new location within the museum's Salle des États. It is displayed in a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bulletproof glass.[121] Since 2005 the painting has been illuminated by an LED lamp, and in 2013 a new 20 watt LED lamp was installed, specially designed for this painting. The lamp has a Colour Rendering Index up to 98, and minimizes infrared and ultraviolet radiation which could otherwise degrade the painting.[122] The renovation of the gallery where the painting now resides was financed by the Japanese broadcaster Nippon Television.[123] As of 2019, about 10.2 million people view the painting at the Louvre each year.[124] On the 500th anniversary of the master's death, the Louvre held the largest ever single exhibit of Leonardo works, from 24 October 2019 to 24 February 2020. The Mona Lisa was not included because it is in such great demand among visitors to the museum; the painting remained on display in its gallery.[125][126] Legacy See also: Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations The Mona Lisa began influencing contemporary Florentine painting even before its completion. Raphael, who had been to Leonardo's workshop several times, promptly used elements of the portrait's composition and format in several of his works, such as Young Woman with Unicorn (c. 1506),[127] and Portrait of Maddalena Doni (c. 1506).[67] Later paintings by Raphael, such as La velata (1515–16) and Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (c. 1514–15), continued to borrow from Leonardo's painting. Zollner states that "None of Leonardo's works would exert more influence upon the evolution of the genre than the Mona Lisa. It became the definitive example of the Renaissance portrait and perhaps for this reason is seen not just as the likeness of a real person, but also as the embodiment of an ideal."[128] Early commentators such as Vasari and André Félibien praised the picture for its realism, but by the Victorian era, writers began to regard the Mona Lisa as imbued with a sense of mystery and romance. In 1859, Théophile Gautier wrote that the Mona Lisa was a "sphinx of beauty who smiles so mysteriously" and that "Beneath the form expressed one feels a thought that is vague, infinite, inexpressible. One is moved, troubled ... repressed desires, hopes that drive one to despair, stir painfully." Walter Pater's famous essay of 1869 described the sitter as "older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in the deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her."[129] By the early 20th century, some critics started to feel the painting had become a repository for subjective exegeses and theories.[130] Upon the painting's theft in 1911, Renaissance historian Bernard Berenson admitted that it had "simply become an incubus, and [he] was glad to be rid of her."[130][131] Jean Metzinger's Le goûter (Tea Time) was exhibited at the 1911 Salon d'Automne and was sarcastically described as "la Joconde à la cuiller" (Mona Lisa with a spoon) by art critic Louis Vauxcelles on the front page of Gil Blas.[132] André Salmon subsequently described the painting as "The Mona Lisa of Cubism".[133][134] The avant-garde art world has made note of the Mona Lisa's undeniable popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, Dadaists and Surrealists often produce modifications and caricatures. In 1883, Le rire, an image of a Mona Lisa smoking a pipe, by Sapeck (Eugène Bataille), was shown at the "Incoherents" show in Paris. In 1919, Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential modern artists, created L.H.O.O.Q., a Mona Lisa parody made by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and goatee. Duchamp added an inscription, which when read out loud in French sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" meaning: "she has a hot ass", implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and intended as a Freudian joke.[135] According to Rhonda R. Shearer, the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp's own face.[136] Salvador Dalí, famous for his surrealist work, painted Self portrait as Mona Lisa in 1954.[137] Andy Warhol created serigraph prints of multiple Mona Lisas, called Thirty Are Better than One, following the painting's visit to the United States in 1963.[138] The French urban artist known pseudonymously as Invader has created versions of the Mona Lisa on city walls in Paris and Tokyo using a mosaic style.[139] A 2014 New Yorker magazine cartoon parodies the supposed enigma of the Mona Lisa smile in an animation showing progressively more maniacal smiles. Raphael's Young Woman with Unicorn, c. 1506 Raphael's Young Woman with Unicorn, c. 1506 Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (c. 1514–15) Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (c. 1514–15) Le rire (The Laugh) by Eugène Bataille, or Sapeck (1883) Le rire (The Laugh) by Eugène Bataille, or Sapeck (1883) Jean Metzinger, 1911, Le goûter (Tea Time), oil on canvas, 75.9 x 70.2 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art Jean Metzinger, 1911, Le goûter (Tea Time), oil on canvas, 75.9 x 70.2 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art Marguerite Agniel "As Mona Lisa" by Robert Henri, c. 1929 Marguerite Agniel "As Mona Lisa" by Robert Henri, c. 1929 Fame 2014: Mona Lisa is among the greatest attractions in the Louvre. Today the Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world, a destination painting, but until the 20th century it was simply one among many highly regarded artworks.[140] Once part of King Francis I of France's collection, the Mona Lisa was among the first artworks to be exhibited in the Louvre, which became a national museum after the French Revolution. Leonardo began to be revered as a genius, and the painting's popularity grew in the mid-19th century when French intelligentsia praised it as mysterious and a representation of the femme fatale.[141] The Baedeker guide in 1878 called it "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre",[142] but the painting was known more by the intelligentsia than the general public.[143] The 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa and its subsequent return was reported worldwide, leading to a massive increase in public recognition of the painting. During the 20th century it was an object for mass reproduction, merchandising, lampooning and speculation, and was claimed to have been reproduced in "300 paintings and 2,000 advertisements".[142] The Mona Lisa was regarded as "just another Leonardo until early last century, when the scandal of the painting's theft from the Louvre and subsequent return kept a spotlight on it over several years."[144] (Left to right) US President John F. Kennedy, Madeleine Malraux, André Malraux, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson at the unveiling of the Mona Lisa at the National Gallery of Art during its visit to Washington D.C., 8 January 1963 From December 1962 to March 1963, the French government lent it to the United States to be displayed in New York City and Washington, D.C.[145][146] It was shipped on the new ocean liner SS France.[147] In New York, an estimated 1.7 million people queued "in order to cast a glance at the Mona Lisa for 20 seconds or so."[142] While exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting was nearly drenched in water because of a faulty sprinkler, but the painting's bullet-proof glass case protected it.[148] In 1974, the painting was exhibited in Tokyo and Moscow.[149] In 2014, 9.3 million people visited the Louvre.[150] Former director Henri Loyrette reckoned that "80 percent of the people only want to see the Mona Lisa."[151] Financial worth Before the 1962–1963 tour, the painting was assessed for insurance at $100 million (equivalent to $700 million in 2021), making it, in practice, the most highly-valued painting in the world. The insurance was not purchased; instead, more was spent on security.[152] In 2014, a France 24 article suggested that the painting could be sold to help ease the national debt, although it was observed that the Mona Lisa and other such art works were prohibited from being sold by French heritage law, which states that "Collections held in museums that belong to public bodies are considered public property and cannot be otherwise."[153] Cultural depictions Cultural depictions of the Mona Lisa include: The 1915 Mona Lisa by German composer Max von Schillings. Two 1930s films written about the theft, (The Theft of the Mona Lisa and Arsène Lupin). The 1950 song "Mona Lisa" recorded by Nat King Cole. The 2011 song "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" by American rock band Panic! at the Disco. The 2022 mystery film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery depicts the destruction of the Mona Lisa, which has been borrowed from its location by a billionaire. Early versions and copies Main article: Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations Prado Museum La Gioconda Main article: Mona Lisa (Prado's version) A version of Mona Lisa known as Mujer de mano de Leonardo Abince ("Woman by Leonardo da Vinci's hand", Museo del Prado, Madrid) was for centuries considered to be a work by Leonardo. However, since its restoration in 2012, it is now thought to have been executed by one of Leonardo's pupils in his studio at the same time as Mona Lisa was being painted.[154] The Prado's conclusion that the painting is probably by Salaì (1480–1524) or by Melzi (1493–1572) has been called into question by others.[155] The restored painting is from a slightly different perspective than the original Mona Lisa, leading to the speculation that it is part of the world's first stereoscopic pair.[156][157] However, a more recent report has demonstrated that this stereoscopic pair in fact gives no reliable stereoscopic depth.[158] Isleworth Mona Lisa Main article: Isleworth Mona Lisa A version of the Mona Lisa known as the Isleworth Mona Lisa was first bought by an English nobleman in 1778 and was rediscovered in 1913 by Hugh Blaker, an art connoisseur. The painting was presented to the media in 2012 by the Mona Lisa Foundation.[159] It is a painting of the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The current scholarly consensus on attribution is unclear.[160] Some experts, including Frank Zöllner, Martin Kemp and Luke Syson denied the attribution to Leonardo;[161][162] professors such as Salvatore Lorusso, Andrea Natali,[163] and John F Asmus supported it;[164] others like Alessandro Vezzosi and Carlo Pedretti were uncertain.[165] Hermitage Mona Lisa Main article: Mona Lisa (Hermitage) A version known as the Hermitage Mona Lisa is in the Hermitage Museum and it was made by an unknown 16th-century artist.[166][167] Copy of Mona Lisa commonly attributed to Salaì Copy of Mona Lisa commonly attributed to Salaì The Prado Museum La Gioconda The Prado Museum La Gioconda The Isleworth Mona Lisa The Isleworth Mona Lisa Hermitage Mona Lisa Hermitage Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa illusion If a person being photographed looks into the camera lens, the image produced provides an illusion that viewers perceive as the subject looking at them, irrespective of the photographs' position. It is presumably for this reason that many people, while taking photographs, ask subjects to look at the camera rather than anywhere else. In psychology, this is known as "the Mona Lisa illusion" after the famous painting which also presents the same illusion.[168] See also artist's palettePainting portal List of works by Leonardo da Vinci List of most expensive paintings List of stolen paintings Speculations about Mona Lisa Male Mona Lisa theories Two-Mona Lisa theory Footnotes Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck these hairs, as they were considered unsightly.[47][48] Leonardo, later in his life, is said to have regretted "never having completed a single work".[66] "... Messer Lunardo Vinci [sic] ... showed His Excellency three pictures, one of a certain Florentine lady done from life at the instance of the late Magnificent, Giuliano de' Medici."[80] "Possibly it was another portrait of which no record and no copies exist—Giuliano de' Medici surely had nothing to do with the Mona Lisa—the probability is that the secretary, overwhelmed as he must have been at the time, inadvertently dropped the Medici name in the wrong place."[80] Along with The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist References "The Mona Lisa's Twin Painting Discovered". All Things Considered. 2 February 2012. National Public Radio. "The original Mona Lisa in the Louvre is difficult to see—it's covered with layers of varnish, which has darkened over the decades and the centuries, and even cracked', Bailey says" "Theft of the Mona Lisa". Treasures of the World. PBS. "time has aged and darkened her complexion." Sassoon, Donald (2001). Mona Lisa: The History of the World's Most Famous Painting. HarperCollins. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-00-710614-1. "It is actually quite dirty, partly due to age and partly to the darkening of a varnish applied in the sixteenth century." "The Theft That Made Mona Lisa a Masterpiece". All Things Considered. 30 July 2011. NPR. Retrieved 15 February 2019. Sassoon, Donald (21 September 2001). "Why I think Mona Lisa became an icon". Times Higher Education. Lichfield, John (1 April 2005). "The Moving of the Mona Lisa". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Cohen, Philip (23 June 2004). "Noisy secret of Mona Lisa's". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008. "Mona Lisa – Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo". Louvre. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2012. "Mona Lisa – Heidelberger find clarifies identity". University Library Heidelberg. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2008. "Was the 'Mona Lisa' Leonardo's Male Lover?". Artnet News. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2021. Carrier, David (2006). Museum Skepticism: A History of the Display of Art in Public Galleries. Duke University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-8223-3694-5. Charney, N.; Fincham, D.; Charney, U. (2011). The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting. Arca Publications. ISBN 978-0-615-51902-9. Retrieved 4 November 2022. "Highest insurance valuation for a painting". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 25 July 2017. "Value of 1962 US Dollars today – Inflation Calculator". www.inflationtool.com. "German experts crack the ID of 'Mona Lisa'". Today. Reuters. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2020. Nizza, Mike (15 January 2008). "Mona Lisa's Identity, Solved for Good?". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2008. Italian: Prese Lionardo a fare per Francesco del Giocondo il ritratto di monna Lisa sua moglie Vasari 1879, p. 39 Clark, Kenneth (March 1973). "Mona Lisa". The Burlington Magazine. 115 (840): 144–151. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 877242. "Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architettori (1568)/Lionardo da Vinci". it.wikisource.org (in Italian). Retrieved 15 November 2021 – via Wikisource. "Giorgio Vasari - Leonardo e la Gioconda". Libriantichionline.com (in Italian). Retrieved 15 November 2021. "Ricerca | Garzanti Linguistica". www.garzantilinguistica.it. Retrieved 15 November 2021. "Dizionario Italiano online Hoepli – Parola, significato e traduzione". dizionari.hoepli.it/. Retrieved 15 November 2021.[permanent dead link] Kemp 2006, pp. 261–262 Farago 1999, p. 123 Bartz & König 2001, p. 626. "Mona Lisa – Heidelberg discovery confirms identity". University of Heidelberg. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2010. Delieuvin, Vincent (15 January 2008). "Télématin". Journal Télévisé. France 2 Télévision. Zöllner 2019, p. 241 Stites, Raymond S. (January 1936). "Mona Lisa – Monna Bella". Parnassus. 8 (1): 7–10, 22–23. doi:10.2307/771197. JSTOR 771197. S2CID 195050582. Wilson 2000, pp. 364–366 Debelle, Penelope (25 June 2004). "Behind that secret smile". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2007. Johnston, Bruce (8 January 2004). "Riddle of Mona Lisa is finally solved: she was the mother of five". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2007. Chaundy, Bob (29 September 2006). "Faces of the Week". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2007. Nicholl, Charles (28 March 2002). "The myth of the Mona Lisa". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2007. Kington, Tom (9 January 2011). "Mona Lisa backdrop depicts Italian town of Bobbio, claims art historian". The Guardian. London. Kobbé, Gustav (1916). "The Smile of the 'Mona Lisa'". The Lotus Magazine. 8 (2): 67–74. ISSN 2150-5977. JSTOR 20543781. "Opinion | Couldn't 'Mona Lisa' Just Stay a Mystery?". The New York Times. 9 January 1987. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 July 2022. Zöllner, Frank (2000). Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452–1519. ISBN 978-3-8228-5979-7. "E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art". Artchive.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013. Zöllner, Frank. "Leonardo's Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo" (PDF). p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2014. Woods-Marsden p. 77 n. 100 Farago 1999, p. 372 Campbell, Lorne, Renaissance Portraits, European Portrait-Painting in the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries, pp. 120–124, 1990, Yale, ISBN 0300046758 "The Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)". BBC. 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2009. Giuffrida, Angela (3 May 2023). "Italian historian claims to have identified bridge in Mona Lisa backdrop". The Guardian. Vasari, Giorgio (1991) [1568]. The Lives of the Artists. Oxford World's Classics. Translated by Bondanella, Peter; Bondanella, Julia Conway. Oxford University Press. p. 294. ISBN 0-19-283410-X. "The eyebrows could not be more natural, for they represent the way the hair grows in the skin—thicker in some places and thinner in others, following the pores of the skin." Turudich 2003, p. 198 McMullen, Roy (1976). Mona Lisa: The Picture and the Myth. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-333-19169-9. Holt, Richard (22 October 2007). "Solved: Why Mona Lisa doesn't have eyebrows". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010. Ghose, Tia (9 December 2015). "Lurking Beneath the 'Mona Lisa' May Be the Real One". Livescience.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Irene Earls, Artists of the Renaissance, Greenwood Press, 2004, p. 113. ISBN 0-313-31937-5 Salgueiro, Heliana Angotti (2000). Paisaje y art. University of São Paulo. p. 74. ISBN 978-85-901430-1-7. "BBC News – Entertainment – Mona Lisa smile secrets revealed". 18 February 2003. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Rosetta Borchia and Olivia Nesci, Codice P. Atlante illustrato del reale paesaggio della Gioconda, Mondadori Electa, 2012, ISBN 978-88-370-9277-1 "Researchers identify landscape behind the Mona Lisa". The Times. Retrieved 22 January 2014. Chiesa 1967, p. 103. Chiesa 1967, p. 87. Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. (2005). An Age of Voyages, 1350–1600. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-19-517672-8. Vezzosi, Alessandro (2007). "The Gioconda mystery – Leonardo and the 'common vice of painters'". In Vezzosi; Schwarz; Manetti (eds.). Mona Lisa: Leonardo's hidden face. Polistampa. ISBN 978-88-596-0258-3. Asmus, John F.; Parfenov, Vadim; Elford, Jessie (28 November 2016). "Seeing double: Leonardo's Mona Lisa twin". Optical and Quantum Electronics. 48 (12): 555. doi:10.1007/s11082-016-0799-0. S2CID 125226212. Leonardo, Carmen Bambach, Rachel Stern, and Alison Manges (2003). Leonardo da Vinci, master draftsman. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 234. ISBN 1-58839-033-0 Lorenzi, Rossella (10 May 2016). "Did a Stroke Kill Leonardo da Vinci?". Seeker. Retrieved 5 May 2019. McMahon, Barbara (1 May 2005). "Da Vinci 'paralysis left Mona Lisa unfinished'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2019. Saplakoglu, Yasemin (4 May 2019). "A Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci May Reveal Why He Never Finished the Mona Lisa". Live Science. Retrieved 5 May 2019. Bodkin, Henry (4 May 2019). "Leonardo da Vinci never finished the Mona Lisa because he injured his arm while fainting, experts say". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2019. Thomas, Henry; Lee Thomas, Dana (1940). Living biographies of great painters. Garden City Publishing Co., Inc. p. 49. Becherucci, Luisa (1969). The Complete Work of Raphael. New York: Reynal and Co., William Morrow and Company. p. 50. Clark, Kenneth (March 1973). "Mona Lisa". Burlington Magazine. Vol. 115. Lorusso, Salvatore; Natali, Andrea (2015). "Mona Lisa: A comparative evaluation of the different versions and copies". Conservation Science. 15: 57–84. Retrieved 26 July 2017. Isbouts, Jean-Pierre; Heath-Brown, Christopher (2013). The Mona Lisa Myth. Santa Monica, California: Pantheon Press. ISBN 978-1-4922-8949-4. Friedenthal, Richard (1959). Leonardo da Vinci: a pictorial biography. New York: Viking Press. Kemp, Martin (1981). Leonardo: The marvelous works of nature and man. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-52460-6. Bramly, Serge (1995). Leonardo: The artist and the man. London: Penguin books. ISBN 978-0-14-023175-5. Marani, Pietro (2003). Leonardo: The complete paintings. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-9159-0. Zollner, Frank (1993). "Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Mona Lisa de Giocondo" (PDF). Gazette des Beaux Arts. 121: 115–138. Retrieved 3 August 2017. Mohen, Jean-Pierre (2006). Mona Lisa: inside the Painting. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-8109-4315-5. Delieuvin, Vincent; Tallec, Olivier (2017). What's so special about Mona Lisa. Paris: Editions du musée du Louvre. ISBN 978-2-35031-564-5. De Beatis, Antonio (1979) [1st pub.:1517]. Hale, J.R.; Lindon, J.M.A. (eds.). The travel journal of Antonio de Beatis: Germany, Switzerland, the Low Countries, France and Italy 1517–1518. London, England: Haklyut Society. Bacci, Mina (1978) [1963]. The Great Artists: Da Vinci. Translated by Tanguy, J. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Wallace, Robert (1972) [1966]. The World of Leonardo: 1452–1519. New York: Time-Life Books. pp. 163–64. Vasari, Giorgio (1550). Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori. Florence, Italy: Lorenzo Torrentino. Boudin de l'Arche, Gerard (2017). A la recherche de Monna Lisa. Cannes, France: Edition de l'Omnibus. ISBN 979-10-95833-01-7. Louvre Museum. "Mona Lisa". louvre.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2017. Kemp, Martin; Pallanti, Giuseppe (2017). Mona Lisa: The people and the painting. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-874990-5. Jestaz, Bertrand (1999). "Francois 1er, Salai, et les tableaux de Léonard". Revue de l'Art (in French). 76: 68–72. doi:10.3406/rvart.1999.348476. Classics, Delphi; Russell, Peter (7 April 2017). The History of Art in 50 Paintings (Illustrated). Delphi Classics. ISBN 978-1-78656-508-2. "The Theft That Made The 'Mona Lisa' A Masterpiece". NPR. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014. Bohm-Duchen, Monica (2001). The private life of a masterpiece. University of California Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-520-23378-2. Retrieved 10 October 2010. Halpern, Jack (9 January 2019). "The French Burglar Who Pulled Off His Generation's Biggest Art Heist". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 January 2019. "Theft of the Mona Lisa". Stoner Productions via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009. R. A. Scotti (April 2010). Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-307-27838-8. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. "Top 25 Crimes of the Century: Stealing the Mona Lisa, 1911". TIME. 2 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2007. Sale, Jonathan (8 May 2009). "Review: The Lost Mona Lisa: The Extraordinary True Story of the Greatest Art Theft in History by RA Scotti". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2019. Iqbal, Nosheen; Jonze, Tim (22 January 2020). "In pictures: The greatest art heists in history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 April 2021. The Lost Mona Lisa by R. A. Scotti (Random House, 2010)[page needed] "Noah Charney, Chronology of the Mona Lisa: History and Thefts, The Secret History of Art, Blouin Artinfo Blogs". Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015. Nilsson, Jeff (7 December 2013). "100 Years Ago: The Mastermind Behind the Mona Lisa Heist | The Saturday Evening Post". Saturday Evening Post. Retrieved 23 July 2019. Noah Charney (12 November 2013). "Did the Nazis steal the Mona Lisa?". The Guardian. "Mona FAQ". Mona Lisa Mania. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. "Tourist Damages the 'Mona Lisa'". The New York Times. 31 December 1956. "'Mona Lisa' Still Smiling, Undamaged After Woman's Spray Attack in Tokyo". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 21 April 1974. Retrieved 9 October 2012. "Mona Lisa attacked by Russian woman". Xinhua News Agency. 12 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2009. "Russian tourist hurls mug at Mona Lisa in Louvre". Associated Press. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.[dead link] Guenfoud, Ibtissem (17 July 2019). "'Mona Lisa' relocated within Louvre for 1st time since 2005". ABC News. Retrieved 23 July 2019. Samuel, Henry (7 October 2019). "Will new Mona Lisa queuing system in restored Louvre gallery bring a smile back to visitors' faces?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2019. "Man in wig throws cake at glass protecting Mona Lisa". ABC News. Associated Press. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022. Hummel, Tassilo (30 May 2022). Stonestreet, John (ed.). "Mona Lisa left unharmed but smeared in cream in climate protest stunt". Reuters. Retrieved 30 May 2022. "Man arrested after Mona Lisa smeared with cake". The Guardian. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022. Palumbo, Jacqui (31 May 2022). "The 'Mona Lisa' has been caked in attempted vandalism stunt". CNN. Retrieved 31 May 2022. "Hidden portrait 'found under Mona Lisa', says French scientist". BBC News. 8 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015. Cotte, Pascal (2015). Lumiere on the Mona Lisa: Hidden portraits. Paris: Vinci Editions. ISBN 978-2-9548-2584-7. McAloon, Jonathan (10 December 2015). "The Missing Mona Lisa". Apollo. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015. "Secret Portrait Hidden Under Mona Lisa, Claims French Scientist". Newsweek. 8 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015. Lomazzo, Gian Paolo (1584). Treatise on the art of painting. Milan. Cotte, Pascal; Simonot, Lionel (1 September 2020). "Mona Lisa's spolvero revealed". Journal of Cultural Heritage. 45: 1–9. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2020.08.004. ISSN 1296-2074. S2CID 225304838. Kalb, Claudia (1 May 2019). "Why Leonardo da Vinci's brilliance endures, 500 years after his death". National Geographic. Retrieved 21 August 2020. "Ageing Mona Lisa worries Louvre". BBC News. 26 April 2004. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009. Bramly, Serge (1996). Mona Lisa. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-23717-5. Sassoon, Donald (2006). Leonardo and the Mona Lisa Story: The History of a Painting Told in Pictures. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74114-902-9. "Biographical index of collectors of pastels". Pastellists.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013. "Mona Lisa gains new Louvre home". BBC. 6 April 2005. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008. Fontoynont, Marc et al. "Lighting Mona Lisa with LEDs Archived 8 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine" Note Archived 29 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. SBI / Aalborg University, June 2013. "Nippon Television Network Corporation". Ntv.co.jp. 6 April 2005. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010. "Mona Lisa fans decry brief encounter with their idol in Paris". The Guardian. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020. "Leonardo da Vinci's Unexamined Life as a Painter". The Atlantic. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019. "Louvre exhibit has most da Vinci paintings ever assembled". Aleteia. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019. Zollner gives a date of c. 1504, most others say c. 1506 Zöllner, Frank. Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452–1519. p. 161. Clark, Kenneth (1999). "Mona Lisa". In Farago, Claire J. (ed.). Leonardo Da Vinci, Selected Scholarship: Leonardo's projects, c. 1500–1519. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-8153-2935-0. "The myth of the Mona Lisa". The Guardian. 28 March 2002. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Samuels, Ernest; Samuels, Jayne (1987). Bernard Berenson, the Making of a Legend. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-674-06779-0. "Gil Blas / dir. A. Dumont". Gallica. 30 September 1911. Salmon, André (15 September 1920). "L'Art vivant". Paris : G. Crès – via Internet Archive. "Philadelphia Museum of Art – Collections Object : Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon)". www.philamuseum.org. Jones, Jonathan (26 May 2001). "L.H.O.O.Q., Marcel Duchamp (1919)". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2009. Marting, Marco De (2003). "Mona Lisa: Who is Hidden Behind the Woman with the Mustache?". Art Science Research Laboratory. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008. Dalí, Salvador. "Self Portrait as Mona Lisa". Mona Lisa Images for a Modern World by Robert A. Baron (from the catalog of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1973, p. 195). Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009. Sassoon, Donald (2003). Becoming Mona Lisa. Harvest Books via Amazon Search Inside. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-15-602711-3. "The £20,000 Rubik's Cube Mona Lisa". metro.co.uk. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014. Riding, Alan (6 April 2005). "In Louvre, New Room With View of 'Mona Lisa'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 June 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2007. Sassoon, Donald. "Why is the Mona Lisa Famous?". La Trobe University Podcast. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2014. Sassoon, Donald (2001). "Mona Lisa: the Best-Known Girl in the Whole Wide World". History Workshop Journal (vol 2001 ed.). 2001 (51): 1. doi:10.1093/hwj/2001.51.1. ISSN 1477-4569. "The Theft That Made The 'Mona Lisa' A Masterpiece". All Things Considered. NPR. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2020. Gopnik, Blake (7 May 2004). "A Record Picasso and the Hype Price of Status Objects". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016. "The Mona Lisa" (PDF). Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Stolow, Nathan (1987). Conservation and exhibitions: packing, transport, storage, and environmental consideration. Butterworths. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-408-01434-2. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2010. "Today in Met History: February 4". Metropolitan Museum of Art. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2018. "Another art anniversary: Mona Lisa comes to New York! And she's almost drowned in a sprinkler malfunction". boweryboyshistory.com. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Bohm-Duchen, Monica (2001). The private life of a masterpiece. University of California Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-520-23378-2. Retrieved 10 October 2010. The French Ministry of Foreign affairs. "The Louvre, the most visited museum in the world (01.15)". France Diplomatie :: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. "On a Mission to Loosen Up the Louvre". The New York Times. 11 October 2009. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Young, Mark, ed. (1999). The Guinness Book of World Records 1999. Bantam Books. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-553-58075-4. "Culture – Could France sell the Mona Lisa to pay off its debts?". France 24. 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. "La Gioconda, Leonardo's atelier". Museo Nacional del Prado. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015. "The 'Prado Mona Lisa' – The Mona Lisa Foundation". The Mona Lisa Foundation. 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015. Carbon, C. C.; Hesslinger, V. M. (August 2013). "Da Vinci's Mona Lisa Entering the Next Dimension". Perception. 42 (8): 887–893. doi:10.1068/p7524. PMID 24303752. Tweened animated gif of Mona Lisa and Prado version Archived 7 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine by Carbon and Hesslinger Brooks, K. R. (1 January 2017). "Depth Perception and the History of Three-Dimensional Art: Who Produced the First Stereoscopic Images?". i-Perception. 8 (1): 204166951668011. doi:10.1177/2041669516680114. PMC 5298491. PMID 28203349. Dutta, Kunal (15 December 2014). "'Early Mona Lisa': Unveiling the one-in-a-million identical twin to Leonardo da Vinci painting". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Rosenbaum, Matthew (27 September 2012). "Second Mona Lisa Unveiled for First Time in 40 Years". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved 12 June 2020. Alastair Sooke. "The Isleworth Mona Lisa: A second Leonardo masterpiece?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. "New proof said found for "original" Mona Lisa –". Reuters.com. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2017. Lorusso, Salvatore; Natali, Andrea (January 2015). "Mona Lisa: A Comparative Evaluation of the Different Versions and Their Copies". Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage. 15: 80. doi:10.6092/issn.1973-9494/6168. Asmus, John F. (1 July 1989). "Computer Studies of the Isleworth and Louvre Mona Lisas". Optical Engineering. 28 (7): 800–804. Bibcode:1989OptEn..28..800A. doi:10.1117/12.7977036. Retrieved 26 July 2017. Kemp 2018: "Alessandro Vezzosi, who spoke at the launch in Geneva, and Carlo Pedretti, the great Leonardo specialist, made encouraging but noncommittal statements about the picture being of high quality and worthy of further research." Portrait of Gioconda (copy), hermitagemuseum.org. Mastromattei, Dario (16 February 2016). "La Gioconda (o Monna Lisa) di Leonardo da Vinci: analisi". Horstmann G, Loth S (2019). "The Mona Lisa Illusion-Scientists See Her Looking at Them Though She Isn't". Iperception. 10 (1). doi:10.1177/2041669518821702. PMC 6327345. PMID 30671222. Sources Bartz, Gabriele; König, Eberhard (2001). Art and architecture, Louvre. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN 978-0-7607-2577-1. Bohm-Duchen, Monica (2001). The private life of a masterpiece. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23378-2. Chiesa, Angela Ottino della (1967). The Complete Paintings of Leonardo da Vinci. Penguin Classics of World Art. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-008649-2. Farago, Claire J. (1999). Leonardo's projects, c. 1500–1519. Oxford: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-8153-2935-0. Kemp, Martin (2006). Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvelous Works of Nature and Man. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280725-0. Kemp, Martin (2018). Living with Leonardo: Fifty Years of Sanity and Insanity in the Art World and Beyond. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-77423-6. Kemp, Martin (2019). Leonardo da Vinci: The 100 Milestones. New York: Sterling. ISBN 978-1-4549-304-26. Marani, Pietro C. (2003) [2000]. Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-3581-5. Turudich, Daniela (2003). Plucked, Shaved & Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600. North Branford, Connecticut: Streamline Press. ISBN 978-1-930064-08-9. Vasari, Giorgio (1879) [1550]. Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori (in Italian). Vol. 4. Florence: G.C. Sansoni. Wilson, Colin (2000). The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7867-0793-5. Woods-Marsden, Joanna (2001). "Portrait of the Lady, 1430–1520". In Brown, David Alan (ed.). Virtue & Beauty. London: Princeton University Press. pp. 64–87. ISBN 978-0-691-09057-3. Zöllner, Frank (2015). Leonardo (2nd ed.). Cologne: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-0215-3. Zöllner, Frank (2019). Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings (Anniversary ed.). Cologne: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-7625-3. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mona Lisa. Wikiquote has quotations related to Mona Lisa. Sassoon, Donald (21 January 2014). #26: Why is the Mona Lisa Famous?. La Trobe University podcast blog. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. of the podcast audio. "Mona Lisa, Leonardo's Earlier Version". Zürich, Switzerland: The Mona Lisa Foundation. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015. "True Colors of the Mona Lisa Revealed" (Press release). Paris: Lumiere Technology. 19 October 2006. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015. Scientific analyses conducted by the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France (C2RMF) Compare layers of the painting as revealed by x-radiography, infrared reflectography and ultraviolet fluorescence "Stealing Mona Lisa". Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler. May 2009. excerpt of book. Vanity Fair Discussion by Janina Ramirez and Martin Kemp: Art Detective Podcast, 18 Jan 2017 Leonardo's Mona Lisa Archived 4 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Smarthistory (video) Secrets of the Mona Lisa, Discovery Channel documentary on YouTube vte Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa Subject Lisa del Giocondo Replicas Isleworth Mona Lisa (16th century) Mona Lisa (Prado, c. 1503–1516) L.H.O.O.Q. (1919) Mini Lisa (2013) Related Replicas and reinterpretations Speculations Male Mona Lisa theories Two–Mona Lisa theory Timeline of fictional stories about the Mona Lisa La Joconde nue 1911 theft Eduardo de Valfierno Yves Chaudron Vincenzo Peruggia On screen The Theft of the Mona Lisa (1931) Arsène Lupin (1932) The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen (1966) City of Death (1979) Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992) Mona Lisa's Revenge (2009) Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Music Mona Lisa (1915 opera) "Mona Lisa" (1950 song) "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile" (1984 song) "Lisa Mona Lisa" (1988 song) "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" (2011 song) "The Mona Lisa" (2013 song) In Search of Mona Lisa (2019 EP) Literature The Second Mrs. Giaconda (1975) I, Mona Lisa (2006) The Smile (2008) vte Leonardo da Vinci List of works Science and inventions Personal life Major works The Annunciation The Baptism of Christ ✻ The Madonna of the Carnation Ginevra de' Benci Benois Madonna The Adoration of the Magi Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Madonna Litta ✻ Virgin of the Rocks Portrait of a Musician ✻✻ Lady with an Ermine La Belle Ferronnière The Last Supper Sala delle Asse Portrait of Isabella d'Este The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist Buccleuch Madonna ✻ Salvator Mundi ✻✻ Lansdowne Madonna ✻ The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne Mona Lisa La Scapigliata Saint John the Baptist Lost works Medusa Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist The Holy Infants Embracing The Battle of Anghiari Leda and the Swan Sculptures Budapest Horse Horse and Rider Sforza Horse (unexecuted) Works on paper Study for the Madonna of the Cat Compositional Sketches for the Virgin Adoring the Christ Child, with and without the Infant St. John the Baptist Head of a Bear The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian Head of a Woman Vitruvian Man Head of Christ Studies of the Fetus in the Womb Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk Manuscripts Codex Arundel Codex Atlanticus Codex on the Flight of Birds Codex Leicester Codex Madrid Codex Trivulzianus A Treatise on Painting Other projects Architonnerre Divina proportione (illustrations) Great Kite Harpsichord-viola Aerial screw Crossbow Fighting vehicle Robot Self-propelled cart Octant projection Rapid fire crossbow Sonar Viola organista World Map Leonardeschi Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio Cesare da Sesto Bernardino de' Conti Giampietrino Giovanni Agostino da Lodi Bernardino Luini Cesare Magni Marco d'Oggiono Francesco Melzi Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis Salaì Andrea Solari Museums Museo leonardiano di Vinci Museo Ideale Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo3 Museum Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci (Milan) Related Cultural references Namesakes Portraits of Leonardo Conservation-restoration of The Last Supper Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations High Renaissance Mathematics and art The Lost Leonardo ✻ Collaboration ✻✻ Possible collaboration Category vte High Renaissance Principal proponents Donato Bramante Giorgione Michelangelo Raphael Titian Leonardo da Vinci Other artists Mariotto Albertinelli Pellegrino Aretusi Fra Bartolomeo Ludovico Beretta Moretto da Brescia Gasparo Cairano Giulio Clovio Antonio da Correggio Piero di Cosimo Bernardino delle Croci Girolamo Genga Lorenzo Lotto Maffeo Olivieri Baldassare Peruzzi Sebastiano del Piombo Antonio da Sangallo the Younger Andrea del Sarto Il Sodoma Tamagnino Palma Vecchio Antonio Vassilacchi Major works The Last Supper (c. 1492–1498) Pietà (1498–1499) San Pietro in Montorio (1500) David (1501–1504) Mona Lisa (c. 1502–1516) St. Peter's Basilica (1506–1513) Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508–1512) Raphael Rooms (1509–1524) Transfiguration (1516–1520) The Last Judgment (1536–1541) Related Art patronage of Julius II Jacob Burckhardt Johann Joachim Winckelmann Leonardeschi Giorgio Vasari The Lives vte Louvre Museum Building Louvre Colonnade Lescot Wing Pavillon de Flore Pavillon de l’Horloge Louvre Pyramid Pyramide inversée Cour Carrée Medieval Louvre Antiquities Near East and Middle East ʿAin Ghazal statue Amarna letter EA 362 Amarna letter EA 364 Amarna letter EA 365 Amarna letter EA 367 Assyrian lion weights Baal with Thunderbolt Bushel with ibex motifs Cippi of Melqart Code of Hammurabi Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II Gudea cylinders Hurrian foundation pegs Investiture of Zimri-Lim Lament for Ur Land grant to Marduk-apla-iddina I by Meli-Shipak II Land grant to Munnabittu kudurru Lion of Mari Manishtushu Obelisk Masub inscription Mesha Stele Namara inscription Narundi Nazareth Inscription Nazimaruttaš kudurru stone Neirab steles Osorkon Bust Phoenician metal bowls Sidon Mithraeum Statue of Iddi-Ilum Statue of Ebih-Il Stele of the Vultures Stele of Zakkur Tayma stones Tiara of Saitaferne Vase of Entemena Victory Stele of Naram-Sin Worshipper of Larsa Yehawmilk Stele Ziwiye hoard Ancient Egypt Gebel el-Arak Knife The Seated Scribe Banishment Stela Bentresh stela Bronze Sphinx of Thutmose III Cosmetic Spoon: Young Girl Swimming Dendera zodiac Great Sphinx of Tanis Khonsuemheb and the Ghost Raherka and Meresankh Stela of Pasenhor Tomb of Akhethetep Bull Palette Hunters Palette Statue of Karomama Greece and Rome, Etruscan Rampin Rider Venus de Milo Winged Victory of Samothrace Albani lion Antinous Mondragone Apollo of Mantua Apollo of Piombino Ares Borghese Athena of Velletri Borghese Gladiator Borghese Vase Diana of Gabii Diana of Versailles The Exaltation of the Flower Furietti Centaurs Venus Genetrix Lady of Auxerre Marcellus as Hermes Logios Apollo Sauroctonos Statue of the Tiber river with Romulus and Remus Venus and Mars Venus of Arles Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus Antioch mosaics Barberini ivory Borghese Collection Boscoreale Treasure Dinos of the Gorgon Painter Eurytios Krater Hercules and the lion of Nemea Judgement of Paris (mosaic) Nazareth Inscription Antinous Mondragone Borghese Venus Diana of Gabii Furietti Centaurs Gladiator Mosaic Hera Borghese Antinous Mondragone Apollo Belvedere Cupid and Psyche (Capitoline Museums) Dying Gaul Furietti Centaurs Sleeping Ariadne Sleeping Hermaphroditus Statue of the Tiber river with Romulus and Remus Winged Lion of Vulci Sarcophagus of the Spouses Byzantine Harbaville Triptych Lampsacus Treasure Paintings French Anonymous: Diana the Huntress; Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses sœurs Boilly: Artists in Isabey's Studio Boucher: The Brunette Odalisque; Diana Bathing; Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas Chardin: The Attributes of Civilian and Military Music; The Attributes of Music, the Arts and the Sciences; Boy with a Spinning-Top; The Buffet; The Ray; Saying Grace Chassériau: Aline Chassériau; Self-portrait; The Toilette of Esther; The Two Sisters Claude: Village Fête Corot: The Bridge at Narni David: Andromache Mourning Hector; The Coronation of Napoleon; The Intervention of the Sabine Women; Leonidas at Thermopylae; The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons; The Loves of Paris and Helen; Minerva Fighting Mars; Oath of the Horatii; Portrait of Madame Marie-Louise Trudaine; Portrait of Madame Récamier; Portrait of Pope Pius VII; Self-portrait; Unfinished portrait of General Bonaparte Delacroix: The Barque of Dante; The Bride of Abydos; The Death of Sardanapalus; Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople; Liberty Leading the People; Lion Devouring a Rabbit; Mademoiselle Rose; The Massacre at Chios; The Murder of the Bishop of Liège; Orphan Girl at the Cemetery; Portrait of Frédéric Chopin; The Picador; Women of Algiers; A Young Tiger Playing with Its Mother Delaroche: Bonaparte Crossing the Alps; The Young Martyr Flandrin: Study (Young Male Nude Seated Beside the Sea) Fragonard: Coresus Sacrificing Himself to Save Callirhoe; The Bolt Géricault: The 1821 Derby at Epsom; The Charging Chasseur; The Raft of the Medusa; The Woman with a Gambling Mania; The Wounded Cuirassier Greuze: L'Accordée de Village Gros: Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole; Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa; Napoléon on the Battlefield of Eylau Guérin: Jeune fille en buste Huet: The Flood of Saint-Cloud; Normandy Thatched Cottage, Old Trouville Ingres: The Apotheosis of Homer; Don Pedro of Toledo Kissing Henry IV's Sword; Grande Odalisque; Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII; Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière; Oedipus and the Sphinx; Portrait of Madame Marcotte de Sainte-Marie; Portrait of Monsieur Bertin; Roger Freeing Angelica; The Turkish Bath; The Valpinçon Bather La Tour: The Adoration of the Shepherds; The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds; Joseph the Carpenter; Magdalene with the Smoking Flame; Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene Philippe de Champaigne: Ex-Voto de 1662 Poussin: Et in Arcadia ego; The Four Seasons; The Funeral of Phocion; The Inspiration of the Poet; Landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice Quarton: Pietà of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon Robert: Principal Monuments of France; Project for the Transformation of the Grande Galerie du Louvre Scheffer: Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta Appraised by Dante and Virgil Vernet: A Mediterranean Port Vouet: Allegory of Wealth; Hesselin Madonna Watteau: The Embarkation for Cythera; The Faux Pas; L'Indifférent; Jupiter and Antiope; Pierrot; The Two Cousins Italian Fra Angelico: Coronation of the Virgin Antonello da Messina: Christ at the Column Arcimboldo: The Four Seasons Bellini: Christ Blessing; Madonna and Child with Saint Peter and Saint Sebastian; Portrait of a Young Man Botticelli: Three Scenes from the Life of Esther; Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman; A Young Man Being Introduced to the Seven Liberal Arts Caravaggio: Death of the Virgin; The Fortune Teller; Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page Carpaccio: The Sermon of St. Stephen Carracci: Fishing; Hunting Cimabue: Maestà Correggio: Allegory of Vice; Allegory of Virtue; Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine; Venus and Cupid with a Satyr Costa: Allegory of Isabella d'Este's Coronation; Reign of Comus Ghirlandaio: An Old Man and his Grandson; Visitation Giordano: Adoration of the Shepherds; Marriage of the Virgin Giotto: Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata Guardi: The Doge on the Bucintoro near the Riva di Sant'Elena Leonardo: Bacchus; La belle ferronnière; Mona Lisa; Saint John the Baptist; The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne; Virgin of the Rocks Lippi: Barbadori Altarpiece; The Healing of Justinian the Canon; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata Lotto: Christ Carrying the Cross; Holy Family with the Family of St John the Baptist; Saint Jerome in Penitence Mantegna: Crucifixion; Judgement of Solomon; Madonna della Vittoria; Parnassus; Saint Sebastian; Triumph of the Virtues Martini: The Carrying of the Cross Moretto: Saints Bonaventure and Anthony of Padua; Saints Bernardino of Siena and Louis of Toulouse Palmezzano: Dead Christ Panini: Ancient Rome Parmigianino: Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine Perugino: Apollo and Daphnis; The Battle Between Love and Chastity; Madonna and Child with St John the Baptist and St Catherine of Alexandria; Madonna and Child with St Rose and St Catherine (with Ingegno); St Sebastian; Young Saint with a Sword Piero della Francesca: Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Pisanello: Portrait of a Princess Raphael: Angel Holding a Phylactery; La belle jardinière; The Holy Family of Francis I; Madonna with the Blue Diadem (with Penni); Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione; St. George; St. Michael; St. Michael Vanquishing Satan; Self-Portrait with a Friend; Small Holy Family Romano: Portrait of Doña Isabel de Requesens y Enríquez de Cardona-Anglesola (with Raphael) Salviati: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas Savoldo: Portrait of a Clad Warrior Signorelli: Adoration of the Magi; Birth of John the Baptist Tintoretto: Self Portrait Titian: The Crowning with Thorns; The Entombment of Christ; Madonna of the Rabbit; Man with a Glove; Pardo Venus; Pastoral Concert (also attributed to Giorgione); Saint Jerome in Penitence; Woman with a Mirror Tura: Pietà with Saints Uccello: The Battle of San Romano Veronese: The Wedding at Cana Northern Bosch: Ship of Fools Bruegel: The Beggars Christus: Lamentation (Pietà) David: Cervara Altarpiece; Triptych of the Sedano family Dürer: Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle van Dyck: Charles I at the Hunt; Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St John and St Mary Magdalene; Madonna and Child with Two Donors van Eyck: Madonna of Chancellor Rolin Friedrich: The Tree of Crows Hals: Catharina Both-van der Eem; The Gypsy Girl; The Lute Player Holbein: Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam; Portrait of Nicolaus Kratzer de Hooch: Card Players in a Rich Interior Jordaens: The Four Evangelists Matsys: The Money Changer and His Wife Memling: Diptych of an elderly couple Metsu: The Vegetable Market in Amsterdam Rembrandt: The Archangel Raphael Leaving Tobias' Family; Bathsheba at Her Bath; Landscape with a Castle; Pendant portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit; Philosopher in Meditation; St. Matthew and the Angel; Self-Portrait; Slaughtered Ox Rubens: Helena Fourment with a Carriage; Helena Fourment with Children; Hercules and Omphale; Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno, Who He Wished to Seduce; Marie de' Medici cycle; The Village Fête; The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents Ruisdael: Dune Landscape near Haarlem; The Ray of Light; Storm Off a Sea Coast Scheffer: Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta Appraised by Dante and Virgil Vermeer: The Astronomer; The Lacemaker van der Weyden: Annunciation Triptych; Braque Triptych Wtewael: Perseus Freeing Andromeda Spanish El Greco: Christ on the Cross Adored by Two Donors; Portrait of Antonio de Covarrubias; Saint Louis Goya: Portrait of Ferdinand Guillemardet; Portrait of the Marquise de la Solana; Still Life of a Lamb's Head and Flanks Murillo: The Birth of the Virgin; The Young Beggar Ribera: The Clubfoot Zurbarán: Displaying the Body of Saint Bonaventure; Saint Apollonia English Bonington: Francis I, Charles V and the Duchess of Étampes Lewis: Street Scene near the El Ghouri Mosque in Cairo American Leutze: Christopher Columbus Before the Council of Salamanca Category Portals: artist's palette Painting icon Visual arts Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata International VIAF 2 National France BnF data Germany Israel United States Japan Czech Republic Australia Croatia Other Bildindex 2 Joconde RKD ID IdRef Categories: Mona Lisa1500s paintings16th-century portraitsPaintings by Leonardo da VinciPaintings in the Louvre by Italian artistsPortraits of womenPortrait paintings in the LouvreRecovered works of artStolen works of artVandalized works of art
Leonardo da Vinci, his Life and Artworks
Leonardo Da Vinci Portrait
Leonardo da Vinci was a true genius who graced this world with his presence from April 15, 1452 to May 2, 1519. He is among the most influential artists in history, having left a significant legacy not only in the realm of art but in science as well, each discipline informing his mastery of the other. Da Vinci lived in a golden age of creativity among such contemporaries as Raphael and Michaelangelo, and contributed his unique genius to virtually everything he touched. Like Athens in the age of Pericles, Renaissance Italy is a summit in human history. Today, no name better seems to symbolize Renaissance age than Leonardo da Vinci.
Early Years: 1452 to 1476
Leonardo da Vinci was born in a Tuscan hamlet near Vinci. He began a nine-year apprenticeship at the age of 14 to Andrea del Verrocchio, a popular sculptor, painter and goldsmith who was an important figure in the art world of the day. At Verrocchio's busy Florence studio, the young Leonardo likely met such masters as Sandro Botticelli while working beside fellow apprentices Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi.
Verrocchio, who had learned his craft under the master Donatello, was the officially recognized sculptor for the Medici family, the rulers of Italy during this era. Under Verrocchio's tutelage, da Vinci probably progressed from doing various menial tasks around the studio to mixing paints and preparing surfaces. He would have then graduated to the study and copying of his master's works. Finally, he would have assisted Verrocchio, along with other apprentices, in producing the master's artworks.
Da Vinci not only developed his skill in drawing, painting and sculpting during his apprenticeship, but through others working in and around the studio, he picked up knowledge in such diverse fields as mechanics, carpentry, metallurgy, architectural drafting and chemistry. In 1473, when he was more than halfway through his studies with Verrocchio, he completed Landscape Drawing for Santa Maria della Neve, a pen and ink depiction of the Arno River valley. It is the earliest work that is clearly attributable to da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci's drawings would become an essential part of his legacy. Da Vinci sketched prolifically, planning inventions, exploring human anatomy, drawing landscapes, and blocking out plans for paintings such as The Virgin of the Rocks and his sole surviving mural, The Last Supper.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - By Leonardo da Vinci
Much of his other creative output during his time with Verrocchio was credited to the master of the studio although the paintings were collaborative efforts. Over the years, historians have closely examined such Verrocchio masterpieces as The Baptism of Christ and The Annunciation to weigh in on which specific figures da Vinci was responsible for. In the "Baptism of Christ," which dates to 1475, experts speculate that one of the angels is da Vinci's own work, while in "The Annunciation," produced within the same time period, experts detect the work of the apprentice artist's brush in the angel's wings and the background. In fact, historians x-rayed "The Annunciation" to definitively distinguish between Verrocchio's heavier brush strokes with lead-based paint from da Vinci's lighter, water-based paint strokes.
Although a member of the Florence painters' guild as of 1472, the artist continued his studies with Verrocchio as an assistant until 1476. The influences of his master are evident in the remarkable vitality and anatomical correctness of the Leonardo paintings and drawings.
Middle Years: 1477-1499
After leaving the Verrocchio studio to set up his own, da Vinci began laying the groundwork for his artistic legacy. Like his contemporaries, he focused on religious subjects, but he also took portrait commissions as they came up. Over the next five years or so, he produced several notable paintings, including Madonna of the Carnation, Ginevra de' Benci, Benois Madonna, Adoration of the Magi, and St. Jerome in the Wilderness. The latter two pieces are unfinished.
Leonardo da Vinci received a commission to paint his "Adoration of the Magi" from Florence church elders who planned to use it as an altarpiece. This artwork is historically significant by virtue of the innovations da Vinci made that were unique among the art conventions of the 1480s. He centered the Virgin and Christ child in the scene whereas previous artists had placed them to one side. Da Vinci improved on standard practices of perspective by making changes in clarity and color as objects became increasingly distant. Unfortunately, he did not complete the commission due to a better offer from the Duke of Milan to become the resident artist at his court.
While in Milan, the artist called upon his varied interests and knowledge to create stage sets and military designs for the Duke as well as paintings. Early in his tenure at court, da Vinci produced his first version of Virgin of the Rocks, a six-foot-tall altarpiece also called the "Madonna of the Rocks." In this painting, which dates to 1483, the artist experiments with blending the edges of objects in indistinct light to create a sort of smoky effect known as sfumato, a technique the artist would continue to develop in his future works.
It was perhaps because of his desire to fine-tune this technique that his other surviving painting from his years in Milan, The Last Supper, deteriorated so quickly. The artist used oil-based paint on plaster for this scene of Jesus and his apostles at the table because his customary water-based fresco paints were difficult to blend for the sfumato effect he sought. Within only a few decades, much of the painting had flaked away from the wall in its location at the Santa Maria del Grazie convent. The canvas of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" that now hangs in the Louvre is, in large part, a reproduction of the failed fresco.
Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” - By Leonardo da Vinci
Later Years: 1500-1519
Upon the French invasion of Milan, the artist returned home, via Venice and Mantua, to Florence. His reputation preceded him, and he was lauded by old friends and up-and-coming artists captivated with his innovations in art. During this final era of his life, da Vinci completed a greater number of paintings than he had thus far. When he resettled in Florence in 1500, the artist made preliminary progress on his painting, Virgin and Child with Saint Anne," which he would set aside unfinished, not to be completed for another 10 years.
Leonardo began creating his most well-known and replicated work, Mona Lisa, a couple of years later when he received a commission from Francesco del Giocondo to paint his wife. The precise date of completion for "Mona Lisa" is still in question, but many historians agree that da Vinci began the masterpiece in 1503.
Leonardo da Vinci also accepted a commission for a mural to be installed in the Hall of 500 at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The subject was a battle scene at Anghiari, and the painting depicted a tangle of muscular horses and warriors. It was, however, destined to be unfinished. Contemporary master Michelangelo received a commission to paint the Battle of Cascina on the opposite wall, also a work left unfinished. Nothing of da Vinci's battle scene survived, except for a copy by artist Peter Paul Rubens and Leonardo's own preliminary sketches.
In approximately the same period, the artist created his second version of the painting, "Virgin of the Rocks," which was likely a commission for installation in a chapel at Milan's church of San Francesco Maggiore. Chief differences between the two versions include color choices, lighting and details of composition.
Leonardo Da Vinci Grave Site
Leonardo returned to Milan in 1506 to accept an official commission for an equestrian statue. Over the course of this seven-year residency in the city, the artist would produce a body of drawings on topics that ranged from human anatomy to botany, plus sketches of weaponry inventions and studies of birds in flight. The latter would lead to his exploratory drawings of human flight machine. All of his drawings during this time reflected da Vinci's interest in how things are put together and how they work.
Upon his departure from Milan in 1513, Leonardo spent time in Rome. In October 1515, King Francis I of France recaptured Milan. The monarch had conferred upon him the title of premier architect, artist and mechanic to the king. In 1516, he entered Francis' service, and then journeyed to his last place of residence near the Fontainebleau court of French King Francis I. Many historians believe Leonardo completed his final painting, St. John the Baptist, at his rural home in Cloux, France. This masterwork exhibits his perfection of the sfumato technique. Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, on 2 May 1519 at the age of 67. The cause is generally stated to be recurrent stroke. Francis I had become a close friend. It was recorded that the king held Leonardo's head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, may be legend rather than fact. He was buried at Chapel of Saint-Hubert, Amboise, France.
The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” - by Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci's Influence on Life and Art
Within the artworks created by his own circle of peers, the influence of Leonardo da Vinci's works is readily evident. Raphael and even sometime rival Michaelangelo adopted same of da Vinci's signature techniques to produce similarly active, anatomically realistic figures.
His innovative breaks from the artistic standards of his day would guide generations of artists that followed. Although da Vinci painted the customary religious scenes of his era, such as the Magi and the Madonna and child, his unique placement of key figures, his signature techniques and his improvements upon perspective were all previously unheard of. In The Last Supper, the way in which he isolated Christ at the epicenter of the scene and made each apostle a separate entity, yet at the same time united them all in the moment, is a stroke of genius that subsequent artists throughout history would strive to replicate.
To the present day, art enthusiasts worldwide consider the iconic "Mona Lisa" to be among the greatest paintings of all time. Her image continues to appear on items ranging from T-shirts to refrigerator magnets, and rather than trivializing the import of the masterpiece, this popularity serves to immortalize Leonardo paintings and drawings. They still remain at the forefront of people's hearts and minds centuries after his death.
Just like William Shakespeare on literature, and Sigmund Freud on psychology, Leonardo's impact on art is tremendous. Throughout his life, Leonardo da Vinci avoided the intrigues of worldly ambitions and vanity. He was a reserved and withdrawn man, not concerned with glory, and yet absolutely sure of the value of his abilities. Along with a small band of contemporary Renaissance figures, Leonardo da Vinci become the center of a movement of artists that has permanently enriched western culture.
Dancers in Pink
c.1876
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas
Dancers in Pink, c.1876 by Degas | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$424 Canvas Print
$58.08
Monet's Water Garden and the Japanese Footbridge
1900
Claude Monet
Monet's Water Garden and the Japanese Footbridge, 1900 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$509 Canvas Print
$57.84
Two Sisters (On the Terrace)
1881
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881 by Renoir | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$588 Canvas Print
$58.34
The Triumph of Galatea
c.1511
Raffaello Sanzio Raphael
The Triumph of Galatea, c.1511 by Raphael | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1446 Canvas Print
$47.9
Cimon and Pero
c.1630
Peter Paul Rubens
Cimon and Pero, c.1630 by Rubens | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$705 Canvas Print
$60.06
The Birth of Venus
c.1485
Sandro Botticelli
The Birth of Venus, c.1485 by Botticelli | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1407 Canvas Print
$77.7
The Conversion of Saint Paul
c.1600/01
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
The Conversion of Saint Paul, c.1600/01 by Caravaggio | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$906 Canvas Print
$92.02
Netherlandish Proverbs
1559
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559 by Bruegel the Elder | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$4649 Canvas Print
$51.35
Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt
1616
Peter Paul Rubens
Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt, 1616 by Rubens | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$3487 Canvas Print
$92.66
Young Girl Defending Herself against Eros
1880
Adolphe-William Bouguereau
Young Girl Defending Herself against Eros, 1880 by Bouguereau | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$794 Canvas Print
$51.22
Napoleon Crossing the Alps on 20th May 1800
1803
Jacques-Louis David
Napoleon Crossing the Alps on 20th May 1800, 1803 by Jacques-Louis David | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1014 Canvas Print
$59.4
Dance Class at the Opera on Le Peletier Str.
1872
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas
Dance Class at the Opera on Le Peletier Str., 1872 by Degas | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$421 Canvas Print
$47.9
Dancers Practicing at the Barre
1877
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas
Dancers Practicing at the Barre, 1877 by Degas | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$451 Canvas Print
$58.14
L'aurore (Dawn)
1881
Adolphe-William Bouguereau
L'aurore (Dawn), 1881 by Bouguereau | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$794
The Crown of Thorns (Ecce Homo)
c.1612
Peter Paul Rubens
The Crown of Thorns (Ecce Homo), c.1612 by Rubens | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$794 Canvas Print
$55.18
Mars and Venus an Allegory of Peace
1770
Louis-Jean-Francois Lagrenee
Mars and Venus an Allegory of Peace, 1770 by Lagrenee | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$876 Canvas Print
$59.8
Storm on the Sea of Galilee
1633
van Rijn Rembrandt
Storm on the Sea of Galilee, 1633 by Rembrandt | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$664 Canvas Print
$58.34
The Cestello Annunciation
c.1489
Sandro Botticelli
The Cestello Annunciation, c.1489 by Botticelli | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$866 Canvas Print
$92.96
Death and Life
c.1910/15
Gustav Klimt
Death and Life, c.1910/15 by Klimt | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1824 Canvas Print
$109.74
Fumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris)
1880
John Singer Sargent
Fumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris), 1880 by Sargent | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1099 Canvas Print
$47.9
Starry Night
1889
Vincent van Gogh
Starry Night, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$498 Canvas Print
$58.34
Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)
c.1503/06
Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa (La Gioconda), c.1503/06 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$750 Canvas Print
$49.9
The Lunch on the Grass
1863
Edouard Manet
The Lunch on the Grass, 1863 by Manet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$628 Canvas Print
$56.76
Mistress and Maid
c.1666/67
Johannes Vermeer, van Delft
Mistress and Maid, c.1666/67 by Vermeer | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$880 Canvas Print
$105.65
Landscape: The Parc Monceau, Paris
1876
Claude Monet
Landscape: The Parc Monceau, Paris, 1876 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$450 Canvas Print
$53.06
Two Calla Lilies on Pink
1928
Georgia O'Keeffe (inspired by)
Two Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928 by O'Keeffe | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$464 Canvas Print
$53.86
The Teaser of the Narghile (The Pipelighter)
c.1898
Jean Leon Gerome
The Teaser of the Narghile (The Pipelighter), c.1898 by Gerome | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$514 Canvas Print
$47.9
Lady with a Unicorn
c.1505/06
Raffaello Sanzio Raphael
Lady with a Unicorn, c.1505/06 by Raphael | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$552 Canvas Print
$86.24
Young Girl in a Straw Hat
c.1884
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Young Girl in a Straw Hat, c.1884 by Renoir | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$380
Four Bathers
c.1888/90
Paul Cezanne
Four Bathers, c.1888/90 by Cezanne | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$525 Canvas Print
$57.55
Portrait of Emilie Floge
1902
Gustav Klimt
Portrait of Emilie Floge, 1902 by Klimt | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1283 Canvas Print
$50.78
Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies
1899
Claude Monet
Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, 1899 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$626 Canvas Print
$58.08
The Purification of the Temple
c.1600
Domenikos Theotokopoulos El Greco
The Purification of the Temple, c.1600 by El Greco | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$655
The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles
1888
Vincent van Gogh
The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$625 Canvas Print
$58.61
Agnus Dei
c.1636/40
Francisco de Zurbaran
Agnus Dei, c.1636/40 by Zurbaran | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$470 Canvas Print
$47.9
A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery
1766
Joseph Wright of Derby
A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery, 1766 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1613
Sick Bacchus (Self-Portrait as Bacchus)
c.1592/93
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Sick Bacchus (Self-Portrait as Bacchus), c.1592/93 by Caravaggio | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$496 Canvas Print
$85.22
Portrait of Francesco Savorgnan della Torre, a ...
c.1560
Tiziano Vecellio Titian
Portrait of Francesco Savorgnan della Torre, a Member of the Maggior Consiglio, c.1560 by Titian | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$540
Perseus and Andromeda
c.1554/56
Tiziano Vecellio Titian
Perseus and Andromeda, c.1554/56 by Titian | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$744 Canvas Print
$57.16
Gold Fish
c.1901/02
Gustav Klimt
Gold Fish, c.1901/02 by Klimt | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$670 Canvas Print
$47.9
The Ninth Wave
1850
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky
The Ninth Wave, 1850 by Aivazovsky | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$823 Canvas Print
$48.31
Plum Brandy
1878
Edouard Manet
Plum Brandy, 1878 by Manet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$458 Canvas Print
$47.9
Dedham Vale
1802
John Constable
Dedham Vale, 1802 by Constable | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$204 Canvas Print
$47.9
Venus Consoling Love
1751
Francois Boucher
Venus Consoling Love, 1751 by Boucher | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$785
Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni
1488
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1488 by Ghirlandaio | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$785
The Argenteuil Bridge and the Seine
c.1883
Gustave Caillebotte
The Argenteuil Bridge and the Seine, c.1883 by Caillebotte | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$488
The Dance Class
c.1873/76
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas
The Dance Class, c.1873/76 by Degas | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$517 Canvas Print
$78.62
Moret, the Loing Canal (The Towpath at Saint-Mammes)
1902
Camille Jacob Pissarro
Moret, the Loing Canal (The Towpath at Saint-Mammes), 1902 by Pissarro | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$452 Canvas Print
$57.16
Kizette in Pink
c.1926
Tamara de Lempicka (inspired by)
Kizette in Pink, c.1926 by Lempicka | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$610 Canvas Print
$54.61
The Swing
c.1765
Jean-Honore Fragonard
The Swing, c.1765 by Fragonard | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$548 Canvas Print
$62.17
The Sleeping Bather (The Sleeper)
1897
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
The Sleeping Bather (The Sleeper), 1897 by Renoir | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$532 Canvas Print
$55.18
Camille (The Woman in the Green Dress)
1866
Claude Monet
Camille (The Woman in the Green Dress), 1866 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$468 Canvas Print
$78.38
Apples and Biscuits
c.1879/82
Paul Cezanne
Apples and Biscuits, c.1879/82 by Cezanne | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$246 Canvas Print
$59.4
The Lady with a Fan
c.1640
Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez
The Lady with a Fan, c.1640 by Velazquez | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$630 Canvas Print
$47.9
Irises
1889
Vincent van Gogh
Irises, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$421 Canvas Print
$57.16
Landscape on the Coast, near Menton
1883
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Landscape on the Coast, near Menton, 1883 by Renoir | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$532 Canvas Print
$47.9
The Girl with a Pearl Earring
c.1665/66
Johannes Vermeer, van Delft
The Girl with a Pearl Earring, c.1665/66 by Vermeer | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$532 Canvas Print
$47.9
The Fountain of Vaucluse
1841
Thomas Cole
The Fountain of Vaucluse, 1841 by Thomas Cole | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$856 Canvas Print
$47.9
The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus
1618
Peter Paul Rubens
The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus, 1618 by Rubens | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1148 Canvas Print
$67.32
Japanese Bridge at Giverny (Water Lily Pond)
1900
Claude Monet
Japanese Bridge at Giverny (Water Lily Pond), 1900 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$525 Canvas Print
$64.15
Villa Medici in Rome (Pavillion of Ariadne)
c.1630
Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez
Villa Medici in Rome (Pavillion of Ariadne), c.1630 by Velazquez | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$284 Canvas Print
$50.05
King Philip IV of Spain
1644
Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez
King Philip IV of Spain, 1644 by Velazquez | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$735 Canvas Print
$67.34
The Kiss
c.1907/08
Gustav Klimt
The Kiss, c.1907/08 by Klimt | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$2285 Canvas Print
$72.6
Spring Flowers
1864
Claude Monet
Spring Flowers, 1864 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$636 Canvas Print
$47.9
The Broken Pitcher
1891
Adolphe-William Bouguereau
The Broken Pitcher, 1891 by Bouguereau | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$672 Canvas Print
$55.92
La Rue de La Bavolle at Honfleur
1864
Claude Monet
La Rue de La Bavolle at Honfleur, 1864 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$345 Canvas Print
$47.9
Dance at Bougival
1883
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Dance at Bougival, 1883 by Renoir | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$517 Canvas Print
$47.9
Primavera
c.1482
Sandro Botticelli
Primavera, c.1482 by Botticelli | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$3137 Canvas Print
$78.21
Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Cadlelight
c.1768/70
Joseph Wright of Derby
Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Cadlelight, c.1768/70 by Wright of Derby | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$608
St John the Baptist
c.1513/16
Leonardo da Vinci
St John the Baptist, c.1513/16 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$599 Canvas Print
$94.39
Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon
c.1824
Caspar David Friedrich
Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, c.1824 by Caspar David Friedrich | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$349 Canvas Print
$47.9
Mill on the Couleuvre at Pontoise
1881
Paul Cezanne
Mill on the Couleuvre at Pontoise, 1881 by Cezanne | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$508 Canvas Print
$56.76
Venus in Front of the Mirror
c.1613/14
Peter Paul Rubens
Venus in Front of the Mirror, c.1613/14 by Rubens | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$768 Canvas Print
$57.29
Susanna and the Elders
c.1555/56
Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto
Susanna and the Elders, c.1555/56 by Tintoretto | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$568 Canvas Print
$79.2
Water Lilies, Evening Effect
c.1897/98
Claude Monet
Water Lilies, Evening Effect, c.1897/98 by Monet | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$367 Canvas Print
$88.27
Leda and the Swan
c.1505/15
Leonardo da Vinci
Leda and the Swan, c.1505/15 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$3108 Canvas Print
$70.72
Old Jew with the Boy
1903
Pablo Picasso
Old Jew with the Boy, 1903 by Picasso | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$444
In Wikström's Studio
1889
Anders Zorn
In Wikström's Studio, 1889 by Anders Zorn | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$462 Canvas Print
$48.18
The Princess Sabra Led to the Dragon
1866
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
The Princess Sabra Led to the Dragon, 1866 by Burne-Jones | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$540 Canvas Print
$55.81
Boreas Abducts Oreithya
c.1615
Peter Paul Rubens
Boreas Abducts Oreithya, c.1615 by Rubens | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$849 Canvas Print
$76.56
Grand Canal Near the Campo San Vio
c.1730
Giovanni Antonio Canal Canaletto
Grand Canal Near the Campo San Vio, c.1730 by Canaletto | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$794 Canvas Print
$47.9
The Love Letter
c.1669/70
Johannes Vermeer, van Delft
The Love Letter, c.1669/70 by Vermeer | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$758 Canvas Print
$47.9
Don Gabriel de la Cueva, Count of Albuquerque
1560
Giovanni Battista Moroni
Don Gabriel de la Cueva, Count of Albuquerque, 1560 by Giovanni Battista Moroni | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$711
The Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist
1818
Caspar David Friedrich
The Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist, 1818 by Caspar David Friedrich | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$433 Canvas Print
$56.89
The Strawberry Girl
c.1772/73
Sir Joshua Reynolds
The Strawberry Girl, c.1772/73 by Reynolds | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$462
Caligula's Palace and Bridge
1831
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Caligula's Palace and Bridge, 1831 by J. M. W. Turner | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$575 Canvas Print
$47.9
Lady with an Ermine (Cecilia Gallarani)
1496
Leonardo da Vinci
Lady with an Ermine (Cecilia Gallarani), 1496 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$839 Canvas Print
$50.37
Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy
c.1594/95
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, c.1594/95 by Caravaggio | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1043 Canvas Print
$87.07
Thalia, Muse of Comedy
1739
Jean-Marc Nattier
Thalia, Muse of Comedy, 1739 by Jean-Marc Nattier | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$696 Canvas Print
$65.87
God Speed
1900
Edmund Blair Leighton
God Speed, 1900 by Blair Leighton | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$1188 Canvas Print
$52.8
Perseus and Andromeda
c.1730
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Perseus and Andromeda, c.1730 by Tiepolo | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$447
Boat Building near Flatford Mill
1815
John Constable
Boat Building near Flatford Mill, 1815 by Constable | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$478 Canvas Print
$60.85
La Belle Ferronniere (Portrait of a Lady from the ...
c.1490/95
Leonardo da Vinci
La Belle Ferronniere (Portrait of a Lady from the Court of Milan), c.1490/95 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$558 Canvas Print
$68.04
Trompe l'oeil (Pinboard), Letter Board
c.1666/78
Samuel van Hoogstraten
Trompe l'oeil (Pinboard), Letter Board, c.1666/78 by Hoogstraten | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$2045
Young Girl with Daisies
1889
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Young Girl with Daisies, 1889 by Renoir | Painting Reproduction
Oil Painting
$462 Canvas Print
$84.37
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Doubting Thomas)
c.1602/03
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Doubting Thomas), c.1602/03 by Caravaggio this coin is silver plated
The most famous paintings of all time
A ranking of the most famous paintings—from Jan van Eyck’s portrait to Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece.
Written by Howard HalleFriday July 15 2022
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
WhatsApp
Ranking the most famous paintings of all time is a difficult task.
Painting is an ancient medium and even with the introduction of photography, film and digital technology, it still has remained a persistent mode of expression. So many paintings have been limned over dozens of millennia that only a relatively small percentage of them could be construed as "timeless classics" that have become familiar to the public—and not coincidentally produced by some of the most famous artists of all time.
Time Out UK
This popular British holiday destination will give you money back if it rains
READ MORE
It leaves open the question of what mix of talent, genius and circumstance leads to the creation of a masterpiece. Perhaps the simplest answer is that you know one when you see one, whether it's at one of NYC's many museums (The Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim, MoMA and elsewhere) or at institutions in other parts of the world.
We, of course, have our opinion of what makes the grade and we present them here in our list of the best paintings of all time.
Top famous paintings
Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503–19
Photograph: Courtesy CC/FlickrDystopos
1. Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503–19
Painted between 1503 and 1517, Da Vinci’s alluring portrait has been dogged by two questions since the day it was made: Who’s the subject and why is she smiling? A number of theories for the former have been proffered over the years: That she’s the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco di Bartolomeo del Giocondo (ergo, the work’s alternative title, La Gioconda); that she's Leonardo’s mother, Caterina, conjured from Leonardo's boyhood memories of her; and finally, that it's a self-portrait in drag. As for that famous smile, its enigmatic quality has driven people crazy for centuries. Whatever the reason, Mona Lisa’s look of preternatural calm comports with the idealized landscape behind her, which dissolves into the distance through Leonardo’s use of atmospheric perspective.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Dystopos
An email you’ll actually love
Get into a relationship with our newsletter. Discover the best of the city, first.
Enter email address
Enter email address
By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.
Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Nat507
2. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665
Johannes Vermeer’s 1665 study of a young woman is startlingly real and startlingly modern, almost as if it were a photograph. This gets into the debate over whether or not Vermeer employed a pre-photographic device called a camera obscura to create the image. Leaving that aside, the sitter is unknown, though it’s been speculated that she might have been Vermeer's maid. He portrays her looking over her shoulder, locking her eyes with the viewer as if attempting to establish an intimate connection across the centuries. Technically speaking, Girl isn’t a portrait, but rather an example of the Dutch genre called a tronie—a headshot meant more as still life of facial features than as an attempt to capture a likeness.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Nat507
ADVERTISING
Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz
3. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889
Vincent Van Gogh’s most popular painting, The Starry Night was created by Van Gogh at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, where he’d committed himself in 1889. Indeed, The Starry Night seems to reflect his turbulent state of mind at the time, as the night sky comes alive with swirls and orbs of frenetically applied brush marks springing from the yin and yang of his personal demons and awe of nature.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1907–1908
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Jessica Epstein
4. Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1907–1908
Opulently gilded and extravagantly patterned, The Kiss, Gustav Klimt’s fin-de-siècle portrayal of intimacy, is a mix of Symbolism and Vienna Jugendstil, the Austrian variant of Art Nouveau. Klimt depicts his subjects as mythical figures made modern by luxuriant surfaces of up-to-the moment graphic motifs. The work is a highpoint of the artist’s Golden Phase between 1899 and 1910 when he often used gold leaf—a technique inspired by a 1903 trip to the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, where he saw the church’s famed Byzantine mosaics.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Jessica Epstein
ADVERTISING
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1484–1486
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/arselectronica
5. Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1484–1486
Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was the first full-length, non-religious nude since antiquity, and was made for Lorenzo de Medici. It’s claimed that the figure of the Goddess of Love is modeled after one Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, whose favors were allegedly shared by Lorenzo and his younger brother, Giuliano. Venus is seen being blown ashore on a giant clamshell by the wind gods Zephyrus and Aura as the personification of spring awaits on land with a cloak. Unsurprisingly, Venus attracted the ire of Savonarola, the Dominican monk who led a fundamentalist crackdown on the secular tastes of the Florentines. His campaign included the infamous “Bonfire of the Vanities” of 1497, in which “profane” objects—cosmetics, artworks, books—were burned on a pyre. The Birth of Venus was itself scheduled for incineration, but somehow escaped destruction. Botticelli, though, was so freaked out by the incident that he gave up painting for a while.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/arselectronica
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, 1871
Photograph: REX/Shutterstock/Universal History Archive
6. James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, 1871
Whistler’s Mother, or Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, as it’s actually titled, speaks to the artist’s ambition to pursue art for art’s sake. James Abbott McNeill Whistler painted the work in his London studio in 1871, and in it, the formality of portraiture becomes an essay in form. Whistler’s mother Anna is pictured as one of several elements locked into an arrangement of right angles. Her severe expression fits in with the rigidity of the composition, and it’s somewhat ironic to note that despite Whistler’s formalist intentions, the painting became a symbol of motherhood.
Photograph: REX/Shutterstock/Universal History Archive
ADVERTISING
Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian
7. Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
One of the most significant works produced during the Northern Renaissance, this composition is believed to be one of the first paintings executed in oils. A full-length double portrait, it reputedly portrays an Italian merchant and a woman who may or may not be his bride. In 1934, the celebrated art historian Erwin Panofsky proposed that the painting is actually a wedding contract. What can be reliably said is that the piece is one of the first depictions of an interior using orthogonal perspective to create a sense of space that seems contiguous with the viewer’s own; it feels like a painting you could step into.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503–1515
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian
8. Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503–1515
This fantastical triptych is generally considered a distant forerunner to Surrealism. In truth, it’s the expression of a late medieval artist who believed that God and the Devil, Heaven and Hell were real. Of the three scenes depicted, the left panel shows Christ presenting Eve to Adam, while the right one features the depredations of Hell; less clear is whether the center panel depicts Heaven. In Bosch’s perfervid vision of Hell, an enormous set of ears wielding a phallic knife attacks the damned, while a bird-beaked bug king with a chamber pot for a crown sits on its throne, devouring the doomed before promptly defecating them out again. This riot of symbolism has been largely impervious to interpretation, which may account for its widespread appeal.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian
ADVERTISING
Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–1886
Courtesy The Art Institute of Chicago/Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection
9. Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–1886
Georges Seurat’s masterpiece, evoking the Paris of La Belle Epoque, is actually depicting a working-class suburban scene well outside the city’s center. Seurat often made this milieu his subject, which differed from the bourgeois portrayals of his Impressionist contemporaries. Seurat abjured the capture-the-moment approach of Manet, Monet and Degas, going instead for the sense of timeless permanence found in Greek sculpture. And that is exactly what you get in this frieze-like processional of figures whose stillness is in keeping with Seurat’s aim of creating a classical landscape in modern form.
Photograph: Courtesy The Art Institute of Chicago/Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection
Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz
10. Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907
The ur-canvas of 20th-century art, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon ushered in the modern era by decisively breaking with the representational tradition of Western painting, incorporating allusions to the African masks that Picasso had seen in Paris's ethnographic museum at the Palais du Trocadro. Its compositional DNA also includes El Greco’s The Vision of Saint John (1608–14), now hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The women being depicted are actually prostitutes in a brothel in the artist's native Barcelona.
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz
Recommended
The best thrift stores in New York
The best thrift stores in New York
The 10 best hotels with pools in NYC
The 10 best hotels with pools in NYC
NYC events in July 2023
NYC events in July 2023
The best outlets near New York
The best outlets near New York
ADVERTISING
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565
Photograph: Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art
11. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565
Bruegel’s fanfare for the common man is considered one of the defining works of Western art. This composition was one of six created on the theme of the seasons. The time is probably early September. A group of peasants on the left cut and bundle ripened wheat, while the on the right, another group takes their midday meal. One figure is sacked out under a tree with his pants unbuttoned. This attention to detail continues throughout the painting as a procession of ever-granular observations receding into space. It was extraordinary for a time when landscapes served mostly as backdrops for religious paintings.
Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, 1863
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/RMN (Musee d'Orsay)/Herve Lewandowski
12. Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, 1863
Manet’s scene of picnicking Parisians caused a scandal when it debuted at the Salon des Refusés, the alternative exhibition made up of works rejected by the jurors of the annual Salon—the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts that set artistic standards in France. The most vociferous objections to Manet’s work centered on the depiction of a nude woman in the company of men dressed in contemporary clothes. Based on motifs borrowed from such Renaissance greats as Raphael and Giorgione, Le Déjeuner was a cheeky send up of classical figuration—an insolent mash-up of modern life and painting tradition.
ADVERTISING
Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, 1930
Photograph: Courtesy Kunsthaus Zürich/Geschenk Alfred Roth/1987
13. Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, 1930
A small painting (18 inches by 18 inches) that packs a big art-historical punch, Mondrian’s work represents a radical distillation of form, color and composition to their basic components. Limiting his palette to the primary triad (red, yellow and blue), plus black and white, Mondrian applied pigment in flat unmixed patches in an arrangement of squares and rectangles that anticipated Minimalism.
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Las Meninas, or The Family of King Philip IV
Photograph: Courtesy Museo Nacional Del Prado
14. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Las Meninas, or The Family of King Philip IV
A painting of a painting within a painting, Velázquez masterpiece consists of different themes rolled into one: A portrait of Spain’s royal family and retinue in Velázquez’s studio; a self-portrait; an almost art-for-art’s-sake display of bravura brush work; and an interior scene, offering glimpses into Velázquez’s working life. Las Meninas is also a treatise on the nature of seeing, as well as a riddle confounding viewers about what exactly they’re looking at. It’s the visual art equivalent of breaking the fourth wall—or in this case, the studio’s far wall on which there hangs a mirror reflecting the faces of the Spanish King and Queen. Immediately this suggests that the royal couple is on our side of the picture plane, raising the question of where we are in relationship to them. Meanwhile, Velázquez’s full length rendering of himself at his easel begs the question of whether he’s looking in a mirror to paint the picture. In other words, are the subjects of Las Meninas (all of whom are fixing their gaze outside of the frame), looking at us, or looking at themselves?
ADVERTISING
Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937
Photograph: Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia/Sucesion Pablo Picasso/VEGAP/2017
15. Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937
Perhaps Picasso’s best-known painting, Guernica is an antiwar cris de coeur occasioned by the 1937 bombing of the eponymous Basque city during the Spanish Civil War by German and Italian aircraft allied with Fascist leader Francisco Franco. The leftist government that opposed him commissioned Picasso to created the painting for the Spanish Pavillion at 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. When it closed, Guernica went on an international tour, before winding up at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Picasso loaned the painting to MoMA with the stipulation that it be returned to his native Spain once democracy was restored—which it was in 1981, six years after Franco's death in 1975 (Picasso himself died two years before that.) Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, The Naked Maja, circa 1797–1800
Photograph: Courtesy Museo Nacional Del Prado
16. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, The Naked Maja, circa 1797–1800
Definitely comfortable in her own skin, this female nude staring unashamedly at the viewer caused quite a stir when it was painted, and even got Goya into hot water with the Spanish Inquisition. Among other things, it features one of the first depictions of public hair in Western art. Commissioned by Manuel de Godoy, Spain’s Prime Minister, The Naked Maja was accompanied by another version with the sitter clothed. The identity of the woman remains a mystery, though she is most thought to be Godoy’s young mistress, Pepita Tudó.
ADVERTISING
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Web Gallery of Art
17. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814
Commissioned by Napoleon’s sister, Queen Caroline Murat of Naples, Grande Odalisque represented the artist’s break with the Neo-classical style he’d been identified with for much of his career. The work could be described as Mannerist, though it’s generally thought of as a transition to Romanticism, a movement that abjured Neo-classicalism’s precision, formality and equipoise in favor of eliciting emotional reactions from the viewer. This depiction of a concubine languidly posed on a couch is notable for her strange proportions. Anatomically incorrect, this enigmatic, uncanny figure was greeted with jeers by critics at the time, though it eventually became one of Ingres most enduring works.
Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Erich Lessing/Art Resource NY/Artres
18. Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830
Commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France, Liberty Leading the People has become synonymous with the revolutionary spirit all over the world. Combining allegory with contemporary elements, the painting is a thrilling example of the Romantic style, going for the gut with its titular character brandishing the French Tricolor as members of different classes unite behind her to storm a barricade strewn with the bodies of fallen comrades. The image has inspired other works of art and literature, including the Statue of Liberty and Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables.
ADVERTISING
Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1874
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Art Database
19. Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1874
The defining figure of Impressionism, Monet virtually gave the movement its name with his painting of daybreak over the port of Le Havre, the artist’s hometown. Monet was known for his studies of light and color, and this canvas offers a splendid example with its flurry of brush strokes depicting the sun as an orange orb breaking through a hazy blue melding of water and sky.
Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1819
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Cybershot800i
20. Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1819
The worship of nature, or more precisely, the feeling of awe it inspired, was a signature of the Romantic style in art, and there is no better example on that score than this image of a hiker in the mountains, pausing on a rocky outcrop to take in his surroundings. His back is turned towards the viewer as if he were too enthralled with the landscape to turn around, but his pose offers a kind of over-the-shoulder view that draws us into vista as if we were seeing it through his eyes.
ADVERTISING
Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818–1819
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons
21. Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818–1819
For sheer impact, it’s hard to top The Raft of the Medusa, in which Géricault took a contemporary news event and transformed it into a timeless icon. The backstory begins with the 1818 sinking of the French naval vessel off the coast of Africa, which left 147 sailors adrift on a hastily constructed raft. Of that number, only 15 remained after a 13-day ordeal at sea that included incidents of cannibalism among the desperate men. The larger-than-life-size painting, distinguished by a dramatic pyramidal composition, captures the moment the raft’s emaciated crew spots a rescue ship. Géricault undertook the massive canvas on his own, without anyone paying for it, and approached it much like an investigative reporter, interviewing survivors and making numerous detailed studies based on their testimony.
Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942
Photograph: Courtesy The Art Institute of Chicago/Friends of American Art Collection
22. Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942
An iconic depiction of urban isolation, Nighthawks depicts a quarter of characters at night inside a greasy spoon with an expansive wraparound window that almost takes up the entire facade of the diner. Its brightly lit interior—the only source of illumination for the scene—floods the sidewalk and the surrounding buildings, which are otherwise dark. The restaurant's glass exterior creates a display-case effect that heightens the sense that the subjects (three customers and a counterman) are alone together. It's a study of alienation as the figures studiously ignore each other while losing themselves in a state of reverie or exhaustion. The diner was based on a long-demolished one in Hopper's Greenwich Village neighborhood, and some art historians have suggested that the painting as a whole may have been inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night, which was on exhibit at a gallery Hopper frequented at same time he painted Nighthawks Also of note: The redheaded woman on the far right is the artist's wife Jo, who frequently modeled for him.
ADVERTISING
Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Philadelphia Museum of Art
23. Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912
At the beginning of the 20th-century, Americans knew little about modern art, but all that abruptly changed when a survey of Europe's leading modernists was mounted at New York City's 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets. The show was officially titled the "International Exhibition of Modern Art," but has simply been known as the Armory Show ever since. It was a succès de scandale of epic proportions, sparking an outcry from critics that landed on the front page of newspapers. At the center of the brouhaha was this painting by Marcel Duchamp. A stylistic mixture of Cubism and Futurism, Duchamp’s depiction of the titular subject in multiple exposure evokes a movement through time as well as space, and was inspired by the photographic motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge and Étienne-Jules Marey. The figure's planar construction drew the most ire, making the painting a lighting rod for ridicule. The New York Times's art critic dubbed it "an explosion in a shingle factory," and The New York Evening Sun published a satirical cartoon version of Nude with the caption, "The Rude Descending a Staircase (Rush Hour at the Subway),” in which commuters push and shove each other on their way onto the train. Nude was one of a handful of paintings Duchamp made before turning full time towards the conceptualist experiments (such as the Readymades and The Large Glass) for which he’s known.
