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| "Mona": journal ink sketch |
A themed blog ...
Almost everyone knows the Mona Lisa.
The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci in 1503. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world".
A forgotten critic made "Mona Lisa" a star:
Many writers have chronicled the exciting and infamous story of how Vincenzo Peruggia stole the "Mona Lisa" in 1911. (This Smithsonian piece is particularly vivid.) But why did Peruggia target the "Mona Lisa" in the first place? The answer might lie with a critic named Walter Pater (1839–1894).
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Walter Pater, critic. |
Pater was an influential English critic and scholar who defined the Renaissance for his Victorian audience, chiefly in the book of the same name (which you can read here). That book had a breakout hit: Pater’s essay on the "Mona Lisa," which is a glorious ode to a painting.
I recently had atwo Mona images and friend and Seattle artist, John mentioned he had been thinking about Mona too. That gave me an idea for a Mona themed blog today. So any artists have tried their hand at doing Mona. I have saved a several. I hope you might enjoy?
And then there are the Mona's in motion ...
and, finally ...
• A terrific 3-minute video, elf owl, here.
• A fun 3-1/4 minute video, alpha gorilla, here.
• A new 3-minute video, tapanuli orangutan, here.
5 comments:
It is fascinating to see the different versions of Mona Lisa. She might just e the most famous woman in art history. So glad she is around. it is obvious you had fun with her. :-)
Thanks, John, yes I spent an inordinate amount of time gathering, more than double my usual time spent. I had hoped it would be fun to see.
I too enjoyed the many Mona Lisa pictures. Isn't it a relief that undoubted serious things can be seen in a different way. Maybe more unsophisticated or simpler or .... What is the right word? It might open a new world if you can start simple, get interested and then deepen the knowledge.
Thanks for spending so much time for us making this funny and interesting blog.
Thanks, Elenor. Yes, I did spend too much time on this silly blog. Once I started I just kept going. If I do a themed blog, it usually means I know I have a lot to work with.
Please take good care.
What a fun post, Jacki. Of course I always love your sketches and stories. You amaze me by coming up with something interesting every day. I know how much time you spend in it. Well worth it for us lucky readers.
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