Paste your essay in here…The word renaissance means “rebirth,” which refers to the upturn of the Roman and ancient Greek culture, which was one of the main characteristics of the whole renaissance period. The renaissance was an art period and a cultural movement that took place around the 14th and 17th century which advocated the rebirth of liberal arts and science, poetry, philosophy, literature and history. The Renaissance brought great changes to the world of art. People began to be more skilled in art, learning and many other things. Many things changed during this period, such as the way that art was displayed, the way it was thought of, the cultures that served as a reference and the subjects that it treated. Italy had been among the first countries to recover from the Middle Ages. The Early Renaissance started in Italy due to it being wealthy, independent and competitive then later one in spread throughout Europe. Prior to the Renaissance, Europe experienced a time during the Middle Ages known also as the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages were distinguished by war and disease and many people were not fond of it which is where humanists emerged. Humanists believed that many individuals had so much potential to provide into the world to make it better. Humanists got their ideas from the ancient Greek culture and also the Romans, which inspired all their new artistic skills and visions. The Renaissance was led mostly by some world wide famous artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Medici family. Some famous artworks that emerged from the Renaissance is the famous painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the famous sculpture David by Michelangelo and also the interior design of the Sistine Chapel ceiling also done by Michelangelo. There’s so many other famous paintings and other great works of arts that emerged from the Renaissance but the emphasis of this essay will be on the Mona Lisa.
Mona Lisa or also known in Italian as the La Gioconda, is a portrait done by oil painting by the famous Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Its believed to be painted between 1503 and 1505, however Leonardo may have continued to work on it as late as 1517. This piece of art portrays a seated woman on a balcony that is set against a landscape of water and trees and it is described as one of the best known and most visited work of art in the world. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most valuable antiques in the world. The woman who sits on this portrait is named Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, who was the wife of cloth and silk merchant Francesco Giocondo.The portrait is captured from the middle of her torso up to her head. Her left arm is rested on the chair that she is seating, and her right hand is settled over her left hand. Her head is turned slightly and she is looking straight ahead with a slight smile. Her hair is let loose and sits above her chest and she appears to wear a veil on her head. She is wearing dark clothes, the arms of her garment is loose and her sleeves appear to be of a lighter color. The reason why the painting is so famous is due to the mystery of Mona Lisa’s smile. The fine detail of the painting gives her a modest look utterance. Some have said that da Vinci has attained a result that is not so common because her smile can change depending on where you glaze in the painting. She was described as an exotic thing, like a vampire or a mysterious sphinx, and even a dangerous beauty. The portrait overcame Leonardo’s contemporaries because it appeared almost lifelike. The painting was first viewed by the public in 1797 when it was placed in Louvre Museum located in Paris, France. The painting was stolen in 1911 and when it was recovered 2 years later the fame of it became even greater. Today it is exhibited behind a layer of bulletproof glass.
A technique Leonardo used in this painting is known as a sfumato, which means “vanished or evaporated.” Sfumato is a technique that creates transitions between tones and colors producing shades that are gradually blended into one another. His brush strokes are almost visible which makes her appear as real as flesh and blood and not painted. Another method Leonardo used in this painting is focus and blur. He uses shadows in the areas that are the lowest in the plane of the painting and most of the detail and attention is focused on Mona Lisa’s face. The sfumato technique in this painting gives the illusion of depth due to the thing glazes and softening of the sharp outlines by blending of tones. The sfumato was a very common technique that was used in many paintings during the Renaissance period. Leonardo has also used aerial perspective to differentiate between the background and the subject displayed in the portrait. He has given the illusion of depth, and displays Mona Lisa sitting far from her background. To sum up, Mona Lisa is a painting which has been around for centuries and attracts many visitors from all over the world. We can see the creative work done by Leonardo da Vinci truly outstanding as a work of masterpiece during the Renaissance era.