Was the Mona Lisa Pregnant?
Wednesday September 27, 2006
The reason for the Mona Lisa's mysterious smile has long plagued art historians, scientists, and 'ordinary' people alike. The latest attempt to unravel the mystery has been undertaken by Canada's National Research Council, which used laser and infrared scans to create a 3D image of the famous painting. So what's this about Mona Lisa being pregnant? Well, it seems the latest investigation has, according to BBC News "allowed details beneath layers of paint to be seen - including a gauzy dress then associated with pregnant or new mothers." The study was commission by Henri Loyrette, Director of the Musée du Louvre, who is quoted in the NRC's press release as saying: "The 3D scan of the Mona Lisa has not only helped to further our understanding of Leonardo's sfumato technique of soft, heavily shaded modeling, but will also help to address the conservation and deterioration concerns we have." It's a painting that's been held up as the best example of the sfumato painting technique, but I can't help but wonder if Mona Lisa's smiling even more now with all the extra attention...
See Also:
• Photos from the 3D Mona Lisa Project
• Techniques of the Old Masters: Leonardo da Vinci
• 10 Intriguing Facts About Leonardo
Photo: © Sergeymk (Creative Commons Some Rights Reserved)
Comments
What is interesting to me is the single event that sparked the Mona Lisa question. I do not beleive the painting would have ever been so noteable/notorious if it had NOT been widely touted with that song from the 50’s about the smile. This is where the mystique started.I do not think it(painting) would have ever been noticed as much. Shows what good publicity will do for you..Hu?
Clearly, people in the art world have no day job and need to hype things up so they look/feel important. I don’t think the Mona Lisa is a big deal. I’ve seen better at garage sales.
Who cares if she’s pregnant or on medicare? This is just a big waste of everyone’s time, spending millions of a useless painting.
Ralph Emerson.
It’s the way you see it!
Speaking as a scholar of Renaissance Studies who has worked with masterpieces by Leonardo in a museum setting, this is a twentieth-first century effort to demystify an icon of Western art. While there is nothing wrong with this effort, caution must be applied to the interpretation of the reported findings.
I stand in agreement with Mr. Emerson. Who cares? If this was a picture of Jesus Christ would these same people take as much interest? I doubt it. This is truly a waste of resources that could better be spent elsewhere.