The Popularity of the Mona Lisa - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: POP CULTURE AND HISTORIC ART The popularity of the Mona Lisa (1503-1506) The popularity of the Mona Lisa (1503-1506) The affect that the Mona Lisa (1503-1506) (Fig. 1) has had on popular culture can be summed up in the effect it produced when it was stolen in 1911. When the Mona Lisa was stolen from its place in the Louvre in Paris, the empty space that it left drew even larger crowds, the people as interested in the continuing mythology of its history through the mystery that the space represented (Leader, 2002, p. 71). The Mona Lisa has an allure that can’t be explained, its popularity to a level where almost anyone in the Western world will recognize the work. Furthermore, the image has become a part of pop art, its imagery of a serene woman with a slight smile gracing items from merchandise such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, and greeting cards. The work has been taken by other artists and re-imagined into their own conceptualization, the imagery a part of the public sphere, thus subject to being used to created post-modern commentary on the consumerist culture. The Mona Lisa is the most famous piece of art in the world, the skill with which it was rendered now secondary to the iconic impact that it has upon popular culture. The Mona Lisa was begun in 1503 and finished in 1506. The work represents all that was best within the discoveries that were made during the Renaissance in painting towards representing reality. The painting uses finely crafted perspective, with all lines converging towards a singular point. The painting is an example of geometric scaling within a painting, the symmetry and harmony of the piece provided through the triangulation of the composition. Da Vinci used chiaroscuro techniques, the use of light and shadow, to model the curves and features of his subject. Dark undertones were used to create a foundation from which he used multiple layers of thin, semi-transparent glazes, a technique called sfumato. One of the most significant changes in the history of art is represented by the Mona Lisa as the movement was begun away from wall frescos and toward oil paintings that were done on an easel which changed the way in which painted art was most often formed (Strickland & Boswell, 1992, p. 34). It is possible that the piece represents the wife of Giocondo, a Florentine merchant (Strickland & Boswell, 1992, p. 34). However, both because Leonardo da Vinci was known to be a strikingly handsome man with fine features, and the similarities that exist in the basic structure of Mona Lisa’s face to his own, there is some speculation that this is a self-portrait with gender reversal, an examination of how he would look if he was a woman (Cremante & Pedretti, 2005, p. 248). The painting infamously seems to hold a secret, the slight, serene smile suggesting that something more is being shown than what is most obvious in the work. Therefore, the Mona Lisa, with its unclear subject and chaste, yet seductive mystery, is a work that has held the interest of the public since it was put on display in the Louvre and the world was introduced to her. The work is known as the most famous work of art in the world. According to Sassoon (2002), an Italian opinion poll conducted in February of 2000 asked the question “What do you think is the best known painting in the world?”. The overwhelming response at a rate of 85.8% was the Mona Lisa (p. 9). However, the reasons behind its popularity are hazy, an unclear path that is hard to fully determine. The rise of popularity in the 20th century might be due to the theft that occurred in 1911. The painting was missing for almost two years, thus creating a further mystery around the mythology of the work that is only enhanced by the mysterious look of the woman in the portrait. According to Strickland and Bosewell (1992), between 1911 and 1952, at least 61 recreations by other artists had come into existence, the iconic history of the painting then going fully commercial with the works of Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns making it not only the most well known, but “the most reproduced image in all art” (p. 34). Once it was a part of the pop culture, appearing on a plethora of merchandise and advertising, the image was not only a fine work from the Renaissance period, but a part of the 20th century pop culture landscape, an icon of consumerist behavior that was both used to satirize the culture and promote consumerist ends through advertising. The image became a part of both sides of the dual nature of post-modern society. The Louvre uses the popular familiarity of the work as an image for its own advertising. The image of the Mona Lisa is used to support most of the advertising for the Louvre, including the Cafe Muffin which has a poster of the Mona Lisa holding a muffin outside of its doors (Sassoon, 2002, p. 10). In 1999, Monica Lewinsky, the young lady involved in the scandal with President Clinton which dominated his Presidency, was transformed into a reflection of the Mona Lisa for the cover of the New Yorker (Fig. 2). Paris Hilton and Marge Simpson can both be seen reflected in imagery that is similar to the Mona Lisa (Fig. 3). The use of the image of the Mona Lisa has been used to create satire and commentary, or simply to poke fun at the subjects of the recreation, and in splash back form, as well at the great work of art that is the Mona Lisa. Art and public popularity have always been intrinsically linked, a piece defined as art by the social definition that is assigned to that work. The Mona Lisa has transcended art, becoming an image that is beyond its artistic value and part of popular culture in such a way that its brilliance is no longer as relevant, its overuse making it possible to mock the piece under a variety of uses. In many ways, the popularity of the piece has taken away some of the awe that it should create, the brilliance of the work lost in the use it is put to within pop culture. No matter the perception, the work is brilliant, the many advances that Leonardo made during his time evident within the small size of the beautiful work. Fig. 1 Mona Lisa (1503-1506), Leonardo da Vinci Fig. 2 The New Yorker (Feb. 8 1999), Robier Fig. 3 Paris Hilton and Marge Simpson List of Illustrations Fig. 1 Mona Lisa (1503-1506), Leonardo da Vinci. Fig. 2 The New Yorker (Feb 8 1999), Robier. Found at http://www.studiolo.org/Mo na/MONA39Th.htm Fig. 3 Paris Hilton and Marge Simpson (unknown origin). Found at http://www.google .com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bloglifetime.com/images/blogs/11-2007/different- versions-of-the-mona-lisa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bloglifetime.com/blogs /archives/april-23-2008.php&usg=__p2Zf_8c-L1k5Xr9SdcVwZpPbn 2A=&h=291&w=398&sz=34&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=EYIcDSi9STptCM:&tbn h=131&tbnw=183&ei=QcdhTdPjFcOB8ga3kL2tDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmona%2B lisa%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D619%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&it bs=1&iact=hc&vpx=976&vpy=274&dur=1882&hovh=192&hovw=263&tx=129&ty=11 3&oei=XsJhTcyNMIigtwfQovTxCw&page=1&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0 References Cremante, S., & Pedretti, C. (2005). Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, scientist, inventor. Firenze: Giunti. Leader, D. (2002). Stealing the Mona Lisa: What art stops us from seeing. New York: Counterpoint. Sassoon, D. (2002). Becoming Mona Lisa. San Diego, CA: Harcourt. Strickland, C., & Boswell, J. (1992). The annotated Mona Lisa: A crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern. 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