Where is the painting "Mona Lisa" (Gioconda)

The history of the painting "Mona Lisa" is worried not by one human generation. Leonardo da Vinci began work on his immortal masterpiece around 1503. The artist painted a portrait of the wife of a wealthy Florentine named Francesco Giocondo. The girl was called Mona Lisa. The second name of the canvas - "Gioconda" - is somehow closer to a wide audience. Already contemporaries of the master appreciated the portrait to the highest degree. The popularity of the image was so huge that in the future it was written about legends and different theories were put forward.

How does she look

What does Mona Lisa look like? The description is the following: the immortal creation measures 77 by 53 cm. The painting is written in oil on a poplar board. It shows a woman sitting in a chair. It is located in the background of the landscape. In her portrait, the viewer is attracted by the look - her unusual, as if constantly watching the viewer, which radiates intelligence and will. But an even greater mystery is the world-famous smile of the Mona Lisa. It is barely perceptible, and its meaning seems to elude the person viewing the picture. It is this elusiveness that brings something into the image that generates a desire to peer at it again and again.

In the art of the world there are very few portraits that can be compared with the "Mona Lisa" by the power of expression of human individuality transmitted in the unity of intellect and morals. Where the painting "Mona Lisa" is, there is a spirit of mystery and mystery. The famous portrait of Da Vinci is different from all the other images of the Quattrocento period with unusual intellectual charge.

From the "Gioconda" comes a sense of power, which is an organic combination of a sense of personal freedom and inner concentration. The smile of a woman in no way betrays neglect or superiority. It is perceived as the result of complete self-control and calm self-confidence.

World Glory

"Mona Lisa" (the original) would have been known for a long time only to the sophisticated and subtle connoisseur of fine art, if it had not had an amazing story that brought the world-famous popularity to the canvas.

From the very beginning of the XVI century, the masterpiece was preserved in the royal collection. Here he got thanks to Francis I, who bought it after the death of Leonardo. In 1793 the image was placed in the Louvre. Most people know this museum as the place where the painting "Mona Lisa" is located. But we are not talking about this now.

So, the "Gioconda" became a masterpiece of national importance and was constantly only in the Louvre. In 1911 (August 21), a museum employee Vincenzo Perugia, a mirror master from Italy, stole a portrait. Undoubtedly, no one could find out the true purpose of the crime. Maybe Vincenzo intended to return the canvas to his historic homeland. Two years later in Italy the picture was found. Perugia himself helped to find the image: he responded to a newspaper ad and decided to sell the "Mona Lisa". In early January 1914, the Gioconda returned to the Louvre.

Mystery of the person

It is difficult to identify the person depicted on the canvas. In this regard, many controversial hypotheses are presented. Researchers disagree. Adherents of different theories put forward the following statements regarding the personality of the Mona Lisa: some of them are sure that this is Isabella from Este. The second - that in the picture a young man in the clothes of a woman. Still others are inclined to think that this is the wife of a noble Florentine del Giocondo. They also say that this is an ordinary ideal girl, or DaVinci's own self-portrait.

The mystery of the "Mona Lisa" remains unknown today. In 1517, the great master visited Cardinal Louis of Aragon. The secretary of Monsignor described this meeting. He wrote that Leonardo da Vinci showed Louis three of his paintings. On one was a Florentine lady, who was written from nature on the request of Giuliano Medici. The second one depicted the face of the young John the Baptist. And the third painting was a portrait of St. Anne and Mary with the newborn Jesus.

Some historians argue that the Florentine lady was exactly Mona Lisa. But, maybe, it was also some other portrait from which there are no copies and even there were no certificates about it. Therefore, Medici could not have anything to do with the Mona Lisa.

How to find a picture

Where is the picture "Mona Lisa", is known to all the inhabitants of our planet. She is kept in the Louvre. Each of the museum signs leads to this canvas. Japanese television in the royal palace bought a whole room under the portrait. And the image itself is covered by thick armor. Next to the portrait there is always a pair of guards, an unlimited number of visitors are coming here. "Gioconda" you can see only in the Louvre, and nowhere else. In the middle of the last century the masterpiece was twice taken out of the museum, but the administration of the institution decided to never again transport the Mona Lisa beyond its limits. That part of the Louvre, which is called Denon (Denon), the seventh hall of painting in Italy, boasts that on its wall hangs the face of the most famous woman in the history of art.

Shades and shadows

Scientists of the whole planet can not calm down, trying to unravel the secrets of the portrait of the Mona Lisa (the museum where it is located is listed above). Several years ago they resorted to the use of X-rays to understand how the master created shadows on his canvas. Philip Walter and his colleagues investigated seven da Vinci paintings, among which was the "La Gioconda". X-rays give the opportunity to study the portrait without damaging the layers of paint.

During the research it was found that Leonardo used the popular in his time technique "sfumato". She made possible soft transitions of color or shades on the canvas.

The most shocking discovery of Walter was that in the picture it is impossible to see any fingerprint or smear. Everything is done just perfect, and therefore analyzing the "Mona Lisa" is incredibly difficult.

The scientists found out that Leonardo had the ability to apply layers whose thickness was only two micrometers, and the total thickness of the step was not more than 30-40 microns.

An Invaluable Masterpiece

How much does the Mona Lisa cost now? Its price is not determined in currency. But the legendary "Gioconda" is included in the Guinness Book of Records as a canvas insured for the greatest amount. In 1962, it was one hundred million dollars. But today the Louvre spends this money not for insurance, but for protection. Taking into account the inflation, in 2006 this amount would amount to 670 million US dollars. Thus, the image of Mona Lisa is the most expensive portrait on Earth.

Secret, covered with darkness

"Gioconda" causes a lot of questions. One of them is why the woman has no eyebrows. The end of the 15th century and the beginning of the next century are known for the fact that in fashion were completely removed eyebrows. So, we can conclude that the lady depicted on the canvas, followed all the trends of style, but because her eyebrows and were plucked. But an engineer from France Pascal Cotet claims that his eyebrows were still there.

Using an ultramodern scanner, the researcher made a copy of the canvas, which showed traces of eyebrows. Pascal is sure that these strokes were originally, but later erased.

The reasons for this could be overly zealous intent to keep the masterpiece. Over the course of five centuries, the canvas was often cleaned, and therefore small elements on it could easily be erased.

The unsuccessful attempt to restore the "Mona Lisa" also calls Kote as "loss" of eyebrows. But it is not clear how still they could completely disappear.

Although one eye

Where the picture "Mona Lisa" is located is already known to the reader. And, probably, every person wants at least once in life, from afar, but to see the original that conquered the world. This portrait contains so many secrets and mysteries that it is simply impossible not to try to solve at least one of them. But nobody has succeeded yet. All of them are known only to Leonardo, who took them with him, leaving future generations only riddles and his priceless, immortal masterpiece.