I've decided to do a critical analysis of the painting 'the Mona Lisa' by Leonardo da Vinci. I will be particularly looking at mechanical reproduction of art.
I researched online to find out more on anything relevant to my subject.I came across this article written by the curator of Louvre on the Mona Lisa.
The Faces of the Mona Lisa
by Vincent Pomarède
Curator in the Paintings Department of the Louvre Museum
The Mona Lisa is beyond doubt the best known painting in the world, today completely identified with the Louvre Museum and even with the general notion of art.
Technique:Painted on a thin backing of poplar wood, which is now extremely fragile (this is why it is today preserved behind a glass case) the Mona Lisa is an exemplary creation, thanks to the subtle effects of light on flesh and the panache of the landscape in the painting's background. The modeling of the face is astonishingly realistic. Leonardo executed the painting with patience and virtuosity: after preparing the wooden panel with several layers of coating, he first of all drew his motif directly onto the picture, before painting it in oil, adding very weak turpentine, which enabled him to paint on innumerable layers of transparent color, known as glaze, and to endlessly remodel the face. The glaze, skillfully worked, heightens the effects of light and shade on the face, constituting what Leonardo himself called “sfumato”.
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