The smile of the Mona Lisa has fascinated art historians for centuries and continues to inspire many of us. What hides the smile of the Mona Lisa? Why does it intrigue us so much?
Harvard neuroscientist Margaret Livingstone is confident she has solved the puzzle. Livingstone says we usually focus centrally on the eyes when we look at a person's face. 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, so the smile suddenly disappears. Mona's smile seems to fade in and out as our eyes scan different parts of the portrait.
Did Da Vinci intend to create this enigmatic smile?
Leonardo da Vinci was a true innovator of his time. His multi-disciplinary approach to art and science was unparalleled. Could he have intentionally created the flickering smile effect, a testament to his artistic genius and emotional depth?
However, my theory is different. Leonardo was in love. As is often the case with photos, those who love us make us more beautiful in photos. The same happened to Leonardo with the Mona Lisa.
The portrait subject is historically identified as Lisa Gherardini, known as Monna (Mona) —diminutive of Madonna (Madame) —Lisa, wife of the Italian nobleman and merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The appellation Gioconda about the woman derives from this marriage bond. It was Francesco who commissioned Leonardo to paint a portrait of his wife Lisa, who had recently given birth and lost their daughter, who died in infancy. For Leonardo, it was a stroke of lightning, and he saw in the woman the flow of feelings, the cornerstone of humanity—the strength to transform pain into beauty.
The posing sessions became conversations about the soul; Lisa was a loving conversationalist who revealed to Leonardo the 'eternal feminine' that fascinated him. When Francesco claimed the portrait, Leonardo (who was not rich) returned the money and preferred to keep it.
Legend has it that Leonardo never parted with the portrait and took it on his travels. Leonardo explained that the painting was unfinished, and he continued to work on it, a brushstroke here, a brushstroke there. It was always on his easel, and according to his pupils, he was talking to Lisa, his female 'alter ego'.
Lisa is the protagonist of her time because Leonardo was. She is in the foreground, and Florence is in the background. She is the human being who dominates nature with wisdom, justice, technology, and imagination. Painted in 1503-1504, it was a modern language that amazed contemporaries and created a new way of painting, a new style, and a new vision.
It influenced generations and still influences us. About a fortnight ago, I started this blog and was undecided about my profile picture. After several attempts, I chose a photo where I am neither too serious nor too smiling, but with a slight reassuring smile, Mona Lisa style.