People love her excessively. Endlessly explore her imperceptible, fleeting but eternal smile, her all-seeing and all-inclusive eyes, her dignified and calm posture, her noble and simple costume, and her impeccable perfect composition. People marvel: Leonardo, only with the wisdom of Leonardo and God, can we collect so many beautiful elements and combine many beautiful things into a perfect whole. Therefore, beauty, wisdom, eternity, trinity, ultimate collocation, there is no possibility of transcendence. In this way, "Mona Lisa" brings people infinite beautiful reverie, but also gives people infinite heavy pressure. People are willing to live in her shade and absorb nourishing nutrition; I long to get out of her shadow and breathe the free air. For many years, countless people who are obsessed with painting things have been troubled by this contradiction.
This is a myth, which has nothing to do with Leonardo da Vinci, and is completely fabricated by later generations. Myth is like a snowball, which keeps rolling and expanding with the passage of time, and finally even the maker of myth is swallowed up. Today, the Mona Lisa sits in a prominent position in the Louvre, welcoming thousands of tourists through thick bulletproof glass and with a mysterious and eternal smile that we are familiar with every day. These pilgrimage-like audiences are full of all kinds of questions. They are eager to read the answer through this gentle and quiet face, but when they leave, they take away more questions. There are many problems, many of which have nothing to do with the Mona Lisa. Some people may ask: Is Mona Lisa the name of the person in the painting or another name for the smile? Is the person in the picture the wife of banker Joe Gondo or Princess Isabel? Does this painting have a real model, or is it drawn by imagination? The characters in this painting have no eyebrows. Is this the aesthetic fashion of Florence in those days, or is it the pregnancy reaction that some people say? Did the person in the painting just experience the pain of miscarriage and put on mourning? Is Mona Lisa's puzzled expression really a smile? Isn't it caused by facial paralysis? Is the Mona Lisa a man or a woman? Is the prototype Leonardo himself? The more bizarre the problem is, the farther away it is from the painting itself, which not only does not help to interpret the painting, but leads people astray.
In fact, some questions have constituted blasphemy against the Mona Lisa, but the questioner has not yet noticed it. Is the Mona Lisa a man or a woman? Is it necessary to ask? No one with gender awareness should question this, but some people still insist on asking such absurd questions. Some people say that Mona Lisa gives people a neutral feeling, at least she won't give people a sexual temptation. Excuse me, can only sex appeal constitute female beauty? So, what's the difference between portraits and pornographic photos? There is no doubt that Mona Lisa is beautiful, and her beauty is fully reflected in the beauty of human nature, not limited to female characteristics; In other words, her beauty has surpassed the gender barrier, but this does not mean that she can't distinguish between the sexes. If there is no ulterior motive, it is very boring to ask absurd questions about obvious facts. It's outrageous to say facial paralysis in the face of a pleasing portrait. Is Mona Lisa's expression stiff? It's ridiculous to say that a moment's expression is frozen and stiff. The smile is indescribable. Unconscious smile, friendly smile, gratified smile or slightly sarcastic smile in concentration are everyone's feelings under different emotions, but there is no doubt about it. As for some people who think that Mona Lisa's smile is beyond the reach of ordinary people, there is absolutely no need to conclude that this painting is not based on a real person, but is entirely based on imagination. People are amazed at Leonardo da Vinci's superb painting skills: the people in the painting, from the five senses to the hands, to other parts of the body, including clothes, are so real and tangible, almost within reach, beyond imagination. If there were no real people for reference, even if he had great talent, Leonardo could not have painted so vividly and delicately. Someone wants to ask, the eyes of the person in the painting are so far away from her smile, so don't argue deeply. Is that unique to him? Why can't modern people imitate it? In fact, such a question is easy to answer. Anyone who knows painting knows that portrait painting is different from character prototype. A good portrait should first reflect the interactive relationship between the author and the object of performance; The painter melts his wisdom, emotion, philosophy of life, spiritual desire and so on into the characters in the painting, and the audience will certainly read more from the picture than the real characters. After we learned about leonardo da vinci's life and his extraordinary achievements in many fields, the above problems were solved. In this case, it doesn't matter who the wife and name of the person in the painting are. She is the collection of all leonardo da vinci's artistic talents and the concentrated expression of his ideal personality. In this sense, she is not anyone's wife, she is a perfect human nature beyond the limits of convention. We can understand that Mona Lisa is a spiritual portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, but it is too vulgar to say that she is a model. Someone compared Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait with Mona Lisa through computer technology, and found that the basic structure of the two was strikingly similar, so he concluded that the painting was based on himself. In fact, this is nitpicking. Similarity does not mean coincidence, of course, complete coincidence is impossible, just like the person in the painting is not completely the same as the real person; But different people always have similarities, similarity is the main thing, but the difference is very small; What's more, every painter always unconsciously brings his own image into the picture when describing others, because the painter is most familiar with himself; I think Leonardo da Vinci will be no exception. Having said that, there is no need to explain the remaining questions. If we look at more paintings and get in touch with painters, then irrelevant questions will not be raised.
Refuting these questions doesn't mean that the study of Mona Lisa is meaningless. As the most famous work in the history of world art, there are bound to be endless problems for future generations to discuss. People are so familiar with the Mona Lisa that it is hard to be fresh. However, people who are fascinated by this painting will get new gains every time they look at it, and the mystery is even understandable. Mona Lisa is not only the treasure of the Louvre, but also the pride of the French. At that time, the Mona Lisa was stolen, and thousands of people felt sad about it. The government designated this day as "National Disaster Day"; When it was recovered, the whole country was jubilant, and its grand occasion was no less than the rebirth of the country. Have the French forgotten that the Mona Lisa should not belong to them? In Italy, the hometown of Mona Lisa, there are immeasurable artistic treasures; It's a pity that we don't have the Mona Lisa. This is a painting with the largest number of fans in the world. Not to mention the art world, it is surprising that politicians are obsessed with her: whenever the famous President Charles de Gaulle is upset, he will drive to the Louvre to enjoy the Mona Lisa, and when he comes out, he will be all smiles, and his original troubles will be gone; On the other hand, President Pompidou publicly admitted that he could not restrain his desire for the Mona Lisa. Churchill, the great man of the century, has changed a lot, but when he was lucky enough to kiss Mona Lisa in his later years, he couldn't control his trembling fingers. Mrs. Thatcher, the Iron Lady, also has a soft spot for Mona Lisa, so she collected four fakes without appreciating the original. Seeing these facts, we will have questions: why does a small portrait have such great charm or shock? Isn't it driven by a mysterious invisible force?
Some questions are difficult to answer. Let's start with the Mona Lisa herself. The world-recognized original works are now circulating in the Louvre. When Da Vinci moved to France, he took the painting with him. After Leonardo da Vinci's death, the Mona Lisa belonged to the French royal family. After the Louvre was completed, the painting was permanently collected. However, people don't understand that the Mona Lisa we see today is not the same as originally described. Has it been tampered with by others? Indeed, there is a big gap between the paintings we see today and those painted by Leonardo da Vinci. It is said that when Napoleon got the Mona Lisa, in order to put it into a ready-made frame, he cut off the left and right sides of the picture by three centimeters; There were stone pillars on both sides of the original painting, but now I can't see them, only a little column base can be seen. It is said that Napoleon did great damage to this painting, but we don't think so today. In the eyes of modern people, the composition of Mona Lisa is perfect, the scenery behind the characters expands the screen space, sets off the inner world of the characters well, and the characters are extremely prominent; On the contrary, columns are added on both sides, feeling that the composition is dull, the vision is not broad, and the characters have lost their simplicity. It is incredible that Napoleon paid no special attention to art all his life, but left a remarkable mark on the history of art. It seems that holiness is not necessarily unshakable.
The Mona Lisa we are seeing now is tan with a slight turquoise tone. The color is plain and quiet, simple and dignified. We thought painting had always been like this, but it wasn't. According to the description of Leonardo da Vinci's contemporaries, the paintings at that time were bright in color and bright in tone. When did it become like this? At that time, the French king got the Mona Lisa, and in order to better protect it, he painted too much varnish on the surface; Hundreds of years later, the varnish turned dark brown, just like the color we see at present; The surface of this painting has cracked, forming a fine texture like a spider's web. Unfortunately, the preservation conditions are not good; However, we would rather recognize the Mona Lisa today. The simple and vigorous tone complements the quiet and introverted spiritual temperament of the characters; Dark clothes and foggy background set off the characters' faces and hands loud and moving; The even cracks add mystery to the character, which makes us more respectful and yearning for her. Some people want to remove surface grease and restore the original bright color through modern scientific and technological means; I'm just worried that the technology is not enough and I'm afraid of damaging the picture. In fact, if it is really repaired, we will find it strange and unacceptable.
Copying famous paintings is the expression of love, and Mona Lisa is copied the most in the world. Not to mention modern people's copying, there were several versions of Mona Lisa in the Da Vinci era alone, most of which were presented by Da Vinci's students or assistants. Some are clumsy and unsightly in front of the original, but there are also many excellent works. There is also a Mona Lisa in New Jersey, USA, which is very similar to the original work of the Louvre, but the composition is slightly larger, revealing the left and right stone pillars (the original composition is like this). The Mona Lisa in the painting is beautiful, pure and more human. A scholar who specializes in Mona Lisa, Leite, thinks that this painting is also made by Leonardo da Vinci, and it is the original, which shows the youthful charm of the characters; A piece in the Louvre collection, made in 15 13. Leonardo da Vinci's skills became more and more perfect in his later years, but after many years, Mona Lisa was no longer young, but a little more mature and deep. This statement is quite intriguing, but after all, it is only speculation and it is difficult to be confirmed. Most people hold negative opinions about this. Opponents believe that there are only a handful of paintings created by Leonardo da Vinci in his life, and his own works have never been repeated. However, this statement is also unconvincing. Leonardo da Vinci himself once painted two identical rock statues of the Virgin Mary. In that case, it is not absolutely impossible for him to leave two Mona Lisa. It is said that Leonardo da Vinci spent four years or more before and after painting the Mona Lisa, so it is possible that he painted one or more variant paintings during this period. There will be a special person to inspect the authenticity, and it doesn't mean anything to us to put the Mona Lisa in New Jersey and the original work of the Louvre together. The two paintings look almost the same, but careful analysis will reveal that their styles are completely different. The Mona Lisa in New Jersey looks more lively, beautiful and fresh in silence and gentleness. The characters are calm and natural, and there is no formality and rigidity that is deliberately copied; The background color contrast is big, not as subtle and calm as the original, but it is in harmony with the atmosphere of the painting. There is no doubt that this is a masterpiece, but it is thin compared with the original. When we face the original Mona Lisa, we will not feel amazing; That's not a beauty, and she doesn't look so young. Mona Lisa's hand is also called the most beautiful hand in the world.
However, we will look at the picture for a long time and can't bear to divert our attention. First of all, we will be impressed by the wonderful light and shadow effects. The layering of blooming shows rich space and realistic texture, and the borderless morphological transition and color change are centuries ahead of our contemporaries. The real magic is not skill, but the mysterious smile that appears and disappears in that moment is fascinating. That smile is too shallow, no matter how close you are, you can't see it clearly; However, as long as you see the painting, no matter how far away, you can feel the smile. Smiling is not only reflected in the upturned corners of the mouth, but also in every part of the face and even every corner of the picture, so that viewers can enjoy the Mona Lisa while smiling. The feeling of facing the original is irreplaceable elsewhere, and the Mona Lisa in the Louvre is destined to be preserved forever.
This is how the Mona Lisa occupied people's hearts. Centuries have passed, and the Mona Lisa has almost become a rule, followed by countless artists. However, in the art world, if there are regular founders, there will be subversives. The 20th century is a century in which art moves towards freedom and pluralism, and many originally sacred laws are passively shaken. Look at the Mona Lisa's experience in the past 100 years: first, Toussaint drew a moustache and goatee on her beautiful face with a pencil and inscribed the letter L.H.O.O.Q; Then photographer Halsman replaced Mona Lisa's face with Dali's weird face: bulging eyes, a beard with raised eyebrows and a hand full of coins; Then Pautrot, a South American painter, painted the Mona Lisa chubby. Her face almost filled the picture like an inflatable ball, but her hands were too small to be seen. Since then, the trend of evolution has prevailed, and various "Mona Lisa" have been released. The cut Mona Lisa, the dismembered Mona Lisa, the defiled Mona Lisa and even the burned Mona Lisa have all become independent artistic creations; Others replaced the Mona Lisa with an animal head, which made people laugh and cry. With the popularization of the theory of evolution, entrepreneurs with economic minds took a fancy to the commercial value of Mona Lisa, so Mona Lisa turned into a commodity salesman. All kinds of goods from all over the world have doubled in value through the hands of Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa holds a mouse, a drink, a cigarette, a swimsuit or a wedding dress with various images on it. Whether people admire its unique imagination or despise it for distorting famous paintings, advertisements attract people's attention and businesses achieve the purpose of promoting sales. At the same time, many people like to dress up the Mona Lisa, and some countries also hold the "Mona Lisa Imitation Competition", and the winner always gets the honor. It is because of this activity that some men came up with the idea of dressing up the Mona Lisa, while others actually put it into practice. The Mona Lisa played by men makes people laugh.
There is another legend about the Mona Lisa. In 8 17 BC, there was a female sacrifice named Hagbusu in ancient Egypt, which was very beautiful and could predict the future. In order to pray for the Pharaoh and obtain eternal life, she made a mummy voluntarily and buried it in the sarcophagus of pyramid of khufu. In 2003, the archaeological team opened her sarcophagus, and there was nothing inside! They also found that the ancient writing on the tomb wall was a prophecy left by the priestess: she would be resurrected in 300 years, and then Leonardo, a painter from Finch, would draw her smile. Is this the Mona Lisa in Leonardo's painting? ! This statement is very bizarre, and I hope that in the near future, the truth will make us let go.
This is all in recent years. In this fast-paced world dominated by cultural fast food, even the sacred classics can't escape the fate of deconstruction. It is difficult for us to judge this. Perhaps we will appreciate the creativity of designers' genius, or we may be indignant at the blasphemy of players around the world. However, these are all true things, and we have no choice but to admit them. For hundreds of years, Mona Lisa has received too many praises, which is beyond her capacity. When people's admiration for it reaches saturation and there is nothing new, distortion, ridicule and ridicule appear. However, there are articles or monographs devoted to the study and evaluation of Mona Lisa, including all kinds of inferences and speculations; In this way, a painting has become a discipline, and many people are willing to spend their whole lives. Future scientific research may answer many questions about this painting, but once the mystery disappears, everything will be as boring as solve riddles on the lanterns. After all, the Mona Lisa is a painting, a beautiful portrait, and it is enough for us to appreciate her with pious and unsolved questions.