Leonardo Da Vinci: The Last Supper And Mona Lisa

The Renaissance Movement began in Europe in the 14th century and the term, literally meaning rebirth, describes the revival of interest in the artistic achievements of the Classical world. It was a period characterized by innovation, imagination, and creativity. The style of painting, sculpture and decorative arts identified with the Renaissance emerged in Italy in the late 14th century. Born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, mathematician, inventor, and writer. He was a leading artist and intellectual of the Italian Renaissance who 's known for his famous works around the world, "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa." Da Vinci is credited for the technique of Sfumato, which is the softening of colors and edges …show more content…
The painting depicts a woman in a frontal position sitting in a chair whose arm and hands are resting on the arm of the chair, who appears to be on the balcony looking out a window. The woman is wearing a dark but simple dress, with a pleated bodice with gold embroidery along the sleeves. If you pay close attention to the top of her hear she is also wearing a black veil on her hair. The most intriguing thing found is this painting is that there is nothing really going on, but the woman is somewhat smiling, providing a sense of mystery. Why is she smiling? Maybe she has a secret or maybe she is just happy, who knows. In the background, we are able to see a landscape from a bird’s eye view, which is composed of what appears to be hills or mountains, water, and a road. The woman found in the painting is believed to be Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy Florentine silk merchant, but others believe to be a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. As of today, the identity of the subject still remains a …show more content…
He used mostly cool and dark colors such as the browns found in her dress and hair along with the blues and browns found in the background. For her skin, face, and hands he incorporated a yellowish color in order to draw the viewers’ attention to it and focus on her face, where the light is more luminous. He also used a variety of lines to create organic shapes such as the oval shape of her face, the curved lines on her dress, the curve of her mouth, and the jagged triangles of the mountains. Another important aspect of the work is the use of perspective, with all lines leading to a single vanishing point behind Mona Lisa 's head. The horizon line is repeated in the railing behind the figure. The repetition of light draws the viewer 's eye around the painting, but always back to the face and hands, where the light is