Reprinted with permission from Brunswick County Early College High School’s The Firebird Times.
Although most people are aware of what the Mona Lisa is, many people do not know the full history behind this famous oil painting.
Leonardo Da Vinci, the famous artist behind the Mona Lisa, was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy. When Da Vinci was 15 years old his father apprenticed him to an artist by the name of Andrea Del Verrocchio. It was in this workshop where Da Vinci would come to receive extensive training in painting, sculpting, and technical-mechanical arts.
The precise date of when Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa is unknown, as are many other factors, such as who is in the painting. There are many theories about who is really the person depicted in the Mona Lisa. Many famous artists believe that it is actually Da Vinci himself in the painting, and it was a self-portrait.
Another theory, and perhaps the most well-known, is that it was a portrait of Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo, wife of a wealthy Florentine. This painting is thought to have been commissioned for the Giocondo’s new home, as a way to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. However, this has never been confirmed and there is no real evidence of this claim.
Da Vinci continued working on the Mona Lisa until his premature death in 1519. So the question many scholars ask is, if this painting truly was for the Giocondo family, why wasn’t the painting delivered to them upon Da Vinci’s death? Despite the painting never officially being finished, why wasn’t it at least given to the family who it was made for rather than King Frances I in 1519?
This painting is unsigned and undated, and although many pieces at this time began adding records of the sitter’s name or social status, no such status can be found on the Mona Lisa. There are also no recorded records of a commission for this painting among any of Da Vinci’s papers.
So who was the “Mona Lisa” as depicted in the painting? The short answer is we don’t know. All of history points to this portrait not truly being who it is believed to be. Was it truly Da Vinci in the portrait? Was it a secret lover of his that had never been put on record? Unfortunately, we may never find out.
The reason the Mona Lisa has had such a huge impact on the art world is because of the timeless beauty it emits and the complexity of the piece considering its time of creation. The Mona Lisa was put into the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, after the French Revolution, and continues to attract millions of tourists from all over the world.
Although we may never find out the true identity of The Mona Lisa, Da Vinci was still an incredible artist and it isn’t hard to acknowledge that he is one of the most influential artists to ever live, continuing to inspire and encourage artists today all around the globe.
