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Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci painted the "Mona Lisa" from 1503 to 1506 in Italy. In addition to being a talented painter, he was an inventor and a scientist.
7 intersting facts about the Mona Lisa
1. The name of the painting, Mona Lisa was the result of a spelling error! The original name of the painting was Monna Lisa. Monna in Italian is a short form of Madonna, meaning 'My Lady'.
2. The identity of the woman in the painting is still a mystery. Some believe that it is the female form of Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Most popular belief is that the woman was Lisa Gherardini, who was 24-years-old and a mother of two sons.
3. The painting has an imperfection. In 1956, a man named Ugo Ungaza threw a stone at the painting. This resulted in a small patch of damaged paint next to her left elbow.
4. The painting is considered priceless and so it cannot be insured.
5. Another interesting fact about the painting is that the woman in the painting has no eyebrows. It is rumoured that it is because when the authorities were trying to restore the painting, the eyebrows got accidentally removed. However, some people believe that Leonardo Da Vinci never completed the painting because he was a consummate perfectionist.
6. The painting in the Louvre has a room of its own. It is protected in a climate controlled environment and encased in bullet proof glass. The room was built exclusively for the painting and it cost the museum over seven million dollars!
7. Studies have shown that there are three different layers painted before the present version of the painting. One version has her hands clutching her arm instead of the chair in front of her.
The Louvre Museum in France. Though painted in Italy, since the 16th century, when she came into the possession of Francois I, King of France, she has remained in that country. She currently hangs in the famous Louvre museum, where she has been since 1804 and now has her own room.
Lisa Gherardini Giocondo. Lisa Gheradini Giocondo was about 25 when she posed for Leo's painting. She was the daughter and wife of wealthy men and it is believed her husband paid Leo for her to be painted. She started as Mia Donna Lisa (my lady Lisa) and it got shorted to Monna Lisa. Due to a spelling error in English it is now known as "Mona Lisa". She is called "La Giocondo" in Italian and "La Joconde" in French.
When was the "Mona Lisa" stolen?
1911. Employee Vincenzo Peruggia smuggled her out under his smock when he was in the room alone in the Louvre. Two years later, in 1913, she was returned after he attempted to sell the painting in Florence.
Was the "Mona Lisa" insured when she was returned after being stolen?
n. The "Mona Lisa" is valued as a priceless item and is not insured.
The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world!!
Due to it's fame, many people have made parodies of her...
Artist Phil Hansen recreated the infamous Mona Lisa — using burger grease. He used 14 grease-laden burgers to create the unusual masterpiece for an American fast food company — who wanted to show how much grease was in their competitor's burgers. (Link)
Objective:
We will study Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci
We will create a parody for the Mona Lisa
Approximately how many people visit the "Mona Lisa" each year?
6 million. Over 6 million people visit the Louvre every year and the "Mona Lisa" is viewed by nearly all of them.