What is the painting La Gioconda known as?
Based on the mid-sixteenth century biography of Leonardo da Vinci by Giorgio Vasari, many historians believe the painting is a portrait of Madam Lisa Giocondo, wife of a wealthy Florentine. It is from Vasari that the painting received the name Mona Lisa, also known as La Gioconda in Italian or La Joconde in French.
Why do Italians call the Mona Lisa La Gioconda?
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. In French, the title La Joconde has the same meaning. Several other women have been proposed as the subject of the painting.
What is written in Mona Lisa eyes?
What was found? Researcher Silvano Vinceti, chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage, says he’s discerned the letters “LV” — “obviously Leonardo’s initials” — on the Mona Lisa’s right pupil.
How many Mona Lisas are there?
Actually, there’s at least four different versions painted by Leonardo da Vinci and his students. But the one we all know and love is at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The others can be found at the Prado Museum and in numerous private collections.
What is the mystery behind Mona Lisa’s smile?
Gazing at Mona Lisa’s eyes, our less accurate peripheral vision notices the mouth, picking up shadows from the cheekbones. The shadows play visual tricks, hinting at the curve of a smile. But when we look directly at the mouth, our central vision doesn’t see the shadows, and so the smile suddenly disappears.
Is there a hidden message in the Mona Lisa?
The committee members found that the right eye contains the letters LV, which they theorize could stand for Leonardo Da Vinci’s name. Vinceti added that the arch of the bridge in the background contains the number 72, but that it could also be an L and the number 2.
What kind of paintings did Picasso paint?
In around 1907 Pablo Picasso, along with his friend Georges Braque, invented a new style of painting called cubism. Inspired by African sculpture, Picasso and Braque used simple shapes and a small range of colours to paint objects, people and landscapes.
What is the meaning of the Gioconda painting?
The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. 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.
Was Leonardo da Vinci painting Lisa del Giocondo?
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.
Did Leonardo da Vinci paint Lisa Gherardini?
The painting is probably of the Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, and is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel. Leonardo never gave the painting to the Giocondo family, and later it is believed he left it in his will to his favored apprentice Salaì.
Who was Lisa del Giocondo and why is she famous?
The model, 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. The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.