Gardners Art through the Ages A Global History

MONA LISALeonardo’s Mona Lisa (FIG. 22-5) is probably the

world’s most famous portrait. The sitter’s identity is still the subject

of scholarly debate, but in his biography of Leonardo, Giorgio Vasari

asserted she was Lisa di Antonio Maria Gherardini, the wife of

Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy Florentine—hence, “Mona (an

Italian contraction ofma donna,“my lady”) Lisa.” Despite the un-

certainty of this identification, Leonardo’s portrait is a convincing

representation of an individual. Unlike earlier portraits, it does not

serve solely as an icon of status. Indeed, Mona Lisa neither wears

jewelry nor holds any attribute associated with wealth. She sits qui-

etly, her hands folded, her mouth forming a gentle smile, and her

gaze directed at the viewer. Renaissance etiquette dictated that a

woman should not look directly into a man’s eyes. Leonardo’s por-

trayal of this self-assured young woman without the trappings of

power but engaging the audience psychologically is thus quite re-

markable. The painting is darker today than 500 years ago, and the

colors are less vivid, but Mona Lisastill reveals the artist’s fascination

and skill with chiaroscuro and atmospheric perspective.Mona Lisais

a prime example of Leonardo’s famous smoky sfumato (misty hazi-

ness)—his subtle adjustment of light and blurring of precise planes.

The lingering appeal ofMona Lisa derives in large part from

Leonardo’s decision to set his subject against the backdrop of a myste-

rious uninhabited landscape. This landscape, with roads and bridges

that seem to lead nowhere, recalls his Madonna of the Rocks(FIG.

22-2). The composition also resembles Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna

and Child with Angels (FIG. 21-23) with figures seated in front of a

window through which the viewer sees a distant landscape. Origi-

nally, the artist represented Mona Lisa in a loggia (columnar gallery).

When the painting was trimmed (not by Leonardo), these columns

were eliminated, but the remains of the column bases may still be

seen to the left and right of Mona Lisa’s shoulders.

ANATOMICAL STUDIESLeonardo completed very few paint-

ings. His perfectionism, relentless experimentation, and far-ranging

curiosity diffused his efforts. However, the drawings in his note-

books preserve an extensive record of his ideas. His interests focused

increasingly on science in his later years, and he embraced knowl-

edge of all facets of the natural world. His investigations in anatomy

yielded drawings of great precision and beauty of execution.The

Fetus and Lining of the Uterus (FIG. 22-6), although it does not meet

21st-century standards for accuracy (for example, Leonardo regular-

ized the uterus’s shape to a sphere, and his characterization of the

22-5Leonardo da Vinci,Mona Lisa,ca. 1503–1505. Oil on wood,

2  61 – 4  1  9 . Louvre, Paris.

Leonardo’s skill with chiaroscuro and atmospheric perspective is on

display in this new kind of portrait depicting the sitter as an individual

personality who engages the viewer psychologically.

22-6Leonardo da Vinci,The Fetus and Lining of the Uterus,

ca. 1511–1513. Pen and ink with wash, over red chalk and traces of

black chalk on paper, 1 85 – 8 . Royal Library, Windsor Castle.

Leonardo’s analytical anatomical studies epitomize the scientific spirit

of the Renaissance, establishing that era as a prelude to the modern

world and setting it in sharp contrast to the preceding Middle Ages.

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