Did Leonardo da Vinci have a second La Gioconda: The Riddles of the Isleworth Mona Lisa

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For decades, there has been debate over whether the Isleworth Mona Lisa is a genuine, earlier version of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work, which attracts millions of visitors to the Louvre every year. Expert opinions, however, vary widely.

Mona Lisa

The portrait of a woman of mystery Mona Lisa (or "La Gioconda") is the most famous creation of European painting. The canvas is a female half-length portrait. The lady is sitting on the terrace against the backdrop of a foggy landscape. Her shoulders are turned three-quarters, her right hand rests on her left (this position of crossed arms complies with all the rules of decency), a smile is barely perceptible, and her eyes are looking at the viewer. It is traditionally believed that this is a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the wealthy Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo (hence the second name of the painting). But many critics believe that the model is the favorite of the Florentine Duke Giuliano Medici. Leonardo chose an angle for his model that ensures her feminine forms, roundness of arms and an enigmatic smile. Fun fact: Since the painting first appeared at the Louvre in 1815, Mona Lisa has received many love letters and flowers from fans. She even has her own mailbox and … a second copy.

Isleworth Mona Lisa

The name "Isaelworth Mona Lisa" derives its name from an English collector who returned the portrait to his home studio in Isleworth after he acquired it from a "noble family" in 1913. With her straight dark hair, repetitive sfumato technique, seductive smile, torso twist and hand position, the so-called "Isleworth Mona Lisa" bears many similarities to her namesake at the Louvre. According to a number of art historians, these similarities suggest that the painting is a simple copy of another master, while other researchers believe that this is an earlier, unfinished version of Leonardo da Vinci himself.

Correspondence of the portrait to the authorship of Leonardo

At first glance, the second Mona Lisa from Isleworth looks a lot like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. A woman with dark hair and a mysterious smile sits at a slight angle to the viewer on a loggia overlooking a panoramic landscape. Except that this woman is clearly much younger than the canvas from the Louvre. If the Mona Lisa had been written ten years earlier, then it would have looked like that. That Leonardo could create two Mona Lisa is quite likely. Throughout his career, Leonardo (along with his assistants) wrote several versions. For example, "Madonna of the Rocks", "Madonna of the Spinning Wheel" and "St. Anne." In 2012, the Geneva press conference presented "the results of 35 years of research and convincing arguments" that the painting was in fact an earlier portrait of Lisa Gerardini, wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, which Leonardo left unfinished.

Inconsistencies of the portrait by Leonardo

The fact is that it is very difficult to attribute works of art to the authorship of Leonardo. Skeptics point out that the Isaelworth Mona Lisa was painted on canvas, while da Vinci worked most often on wood, not to mention other inconsistencies in the detailed technique of painting hair, clothing, and, especially, landscape.

Smile and happiness

Leonardo uses the famous "Golden Ratio" to paint the composition of the paintings, as well as the sfumato technique. This is a kind of smoky softness of the whole composition. Together, these effects grab the viewer's eye, giving the painting an almost hypnotic power that is at odds with its modest size and plot. And the most attractive and magical detail is the smile. This mythologized smile gives the face a provocative expression that confuses the soul of the viewer. As the 16th century art critic Giorgio Vasari described it: "The smile is so pleasant that it was more divine than human." The famous smile of Mona Lisa envelops the model in mystery, just as the branches of the juniper represent Ginevra de Benchi, and the ermine represents Cecilia Gallerani in their portraits. Leonardo made this visual representation of the idea of happiness, suggested by the Italian word "la Gioconda", as the central motive of the portrait: it is precisely this work of the ideal.

Landscape

The mysterious woman is depicted sitting in an open loggia with dark column bases on either side. Behind her, the vast landscape recedes into icy mountains. The winding paths and the distant bridge prove that people live nearby. The sensual curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created with sfumato, are reflected in the undulating, imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. Blurred outlines, a graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and darkness and a general sense of calm are characteristic of da Vinci's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that da Vinci achieved between nanny and landscape, it can be argued that Mona Lisa should be seen as an idealized portrait, as she represents an ideal and not a real woman. The feeling of general harmony achieved in the picture, especially evident in the faint smile of the model, reflects the idea of a connection that connects humanity and nature.

Mona Lisa's influence

Thus, it is likely that Leonardo painted two Mona Lisa: one portrait of the Isleworth Mona Lisa (or an earlier version) in 1503-1507, and the second portrait of the Louvre version in 1508-1515. The renaissance and later times were immense. It revolutionized portraiture. The three-quarter pose has become literally the standard for writing human figures. Leonardo's preliminary drawings prompted other artists to explore their paintings more and more freely. Thanks to the drawings, the Milanese works of Leonardo became known to the Florentines. In addition, his reputation and authority as an artist and thinker extended to his fellow artists and guaranteed them a freedom of action and thought similar to his own. In the Renaissance, which united all human activity, art meant science, art meant truth for life: Leonardo da Vinci was a great figure because he embodied the epic desire of Italian art to conquer universal values: he who combined the artist's wavering sensibility and deep the wisdom of a scientist.