1. Leonardo da
Vinci's The Mona Lisa
Musee du Lourve, Paris
Oil on panel 1503
Portrait painting (Renaissance)
Popularity (polls): 52% liked, 11% disliked
For almost 600 years, Lady Mona Lisa and her enigmatic smile have fascinated art enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Until this day, we are still uncertain as to the true identity of the smiling lady featured in the masterpiece. Debates still rage on whether this person is actually a woman.
In terms of technique, the Mona Lisa is just one of many Renaissance masterpieces. To say it simply, the painting (by Renaissance standards) is rather unoriginal and artistically mediocre. This is not a real surprise since Leonardo da Vinci was a dreamer foremost and a painter second. But what has allowed the painting to capture people's attention for centuries is its subtlety and mysterious aura; many people have devoted their entire lives trying to decode the painting's secret (allegedly) messages. All in all, one can argue that the popularity of the Mona Lisa is partly due to Leonardo's reputation as an inventor and scientist.
2. Georges-Pierre Seurat's Sunday Afternoon
The Art Institute of Chicago, US
Oil on canvas 1884-1886
Pointillism, landscape
Popularity (polls): 70% liked, 0% disliked
The painting depicts a typical Sunday afternoon at Grand Jatte, a popular site northwest of Paris. The technique (pointillism) used to create this painting was considered, at the time, revolutionary. The painting consists of numerous dots of color. When viewed from afar or in smaller size, the dots appear to fuse together generating a breath-taking mosaic of color.
OTHER VOICES:
Paradigm from Sweden writes:
=>CONTINUE ON PAGE 2
Musee du Lourve, Paris
Oil on panel 1503
Portrait painting (Renaissance)
Popularity (polls): 52% liked, 11% disliked
For almost 600 years, Lady Mona Lisa and her enigmatic smile have fascinated art enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Until this day, we are still uncertain as to the true identity of the smiling lady featured in the masterpiece. Debates still rage on whether this person is actually a woman.
In terms of technique, the Mona Lisa is just one of many Renaissance masterpieces. To say it simply, the painting (by Renaissance standards) is rather unoriginal and artistically mediocre. This is not a real surprise since Leonardo da Vinci was a dreamer foremost and a painter second. But what has allowed the painting to capture people's attention for centuries is its subtlety and mysterious aura; many people have devoted their entire lives trying to decode the painting's secret (allegedly) messages. All in all, one can argue that the popularity of the Mona Lisa is partly due to Leonardo's reputation as an inventor and scientist.
2. Georges-Pierre Seurat's Sunday Afternoon
The Art Institute of Chicago, US
Oil on canvas 1884-1886
Pointillism, landscape
Popularity (polls): 70% liked, 0% disliked
The painting depicts a typical Sunday afternoon at Grand Jatte, a popular site northwest of Paris. The technique (pointillism) used to create this painting was considered, at the time, revolutionary. The painting consists of numerous dots of color. When viewed from afar or in smaller size, the dots appear to fuse together generating a breath-taking mosaic of color.
OTHER VOICES:
Paradigm from Sweden writes:
=>CONTINUE ON PAGE 2
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