The secret of Mona Lisa. The secret of Mona Lisa's smile revealed The mysterious smile of Mona Lisa

In the Royal Castle of Amboise (France), Leonardo da Vinci completed the famous "La Gioconda" - "Mona Lisa". It is generally accepted that Leonardo is buried in the Chapel of St. Hubert at Amboise Castle.

Hidden in Mona Lisa's eyes are tiny numbers and letters that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Perhaps these are the initials of Leonardo da Vinci and the year the painting was created.

"Mona Lisa" is considered the most mysterious picture ever created. Art experts are still unraveling its secrets. At the same time, the Mona Lisa is one of the most disappointing attractions in Paris. The fact is that huge queues line up every day. Mona Lisa is protected by bulletproof glass.

On August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen. She was kidnapped by Louvre employee Vincenzo Perugia. There is an assumption that Perugia wanted to return the painting to its historical homeland. The first attempts to find the painting led nowhere. The museum administration was fired. As part of this case, the poet Guillaume Apollinaire was arrested and later released. Pablo Picasso was also under suspicion. The painting was found two years later in Italy. January 4, 1914 painting (after exhibitions on Italian cities) returned to Paris. After these events, the picture gained unprecedented popularity.

In the DIDU cafe there is a large plasticine Mona Lisa. It was sculpted over the course of a month by ordinary cafe visitors. The process was led by artist Nikas Safronov. Mona Lisa, which was sculpted by 1,700 Muscovites and city guests, was included in the Guinness Book of Records. It became the largest plasticine reproduction of the Mona Lisa made by people.

During World War II, many works from the Louvre collection were hidden in the Chateau de Chambord. Among them was the Mona Lisa. The photographs show emergency preparations for sending the painting before the Nazis arrived in Paris. The location where the Mona Lisa was hidden was kept a closely guarded secret. The paintings were hidden for good reason: it would later turn out that Hitler planned to create “the world’s largest museum” in Linz. And he organized a whole campaign for this under the leadership of the German art connoisseur Hans Posse.

According to the History Channel movie Life After People, after 100 years without people, the Mona Lisa is eaten by bugs.

Most researchers believe that the landscape painted behind the Gioconda is fictitious. There are versions that this is the Valdarno Valley or the Montefeltro region, but there is no convincing evidence for these versions. It is known that Leonardo painted the painting in his Milan workshop.

The mysterious genius of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci - what do we know about him? Great painter, who wrote so many world masterpieces, why didn’t he finish so many works? The drawings by Leonardo da Vinci known to us convey both the beauty of the world and man, as well as creepy, ugly scenes from life.

He owned not only paintings, but also a variety of inventions, several centuries ahead of their time. The life of this man has always been shrouded in mystery, his achievements are simply amazing. Leonardo da Vinci is not just a man, but a superman living in another dimension.

Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.

We will focus on his most amazing mystery - the portrait of Mona Lisa or “La Gioconda” (Louvre).

This is a picture that has been debated for centuries, and every researcher is trying to find a new mystery in this picture in order to solve it. The portrait carries within itself not just a specific reality, but is a generalization of the universal, spiritual principle. This is not a mysterious woman, this is a mysterious being” (Leonardo. M. Batkin).

The picture belongs to early XVI century. This is a portrait of the wife of a merchant from Florence, Francesco del Giocondo.

The most famous is the riddle of Gioconda's smile. The mastery of the genius here has reached such heights that the expression on Mona Lisa’s face remains elusive, from different points of view - it is always different. Some considered this effect ominous, others - spiritual, hypnotic. This effect is called sfumato (very subtle transitions from light to shadow) - realism and volume as if the picture was painted with many strokes.

But, meanwhile, this is not so! The paint layer is very thin and the strokes are not visible at all. Researchers have long been trying to understand this style of writing using a fluorescent method. A barely perceptible haze shades the lines, making Gioconda almost alive. It begins to seem that now her lips will open and she will utter a word.

The very first description of the painting given by Vasari is contradictory, who wrote that Leonardo da Vinci worked on it for four years and did not finish, but immediately reports that the portrait reproduces all the smallest details that the subtlety of painting can convey. With a high degree of confidence we can say that in the image of Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci depicted not a simple woman, and the Mother of God.

Researchers are inclined to conclude that one half of Gioconda’s face is John the Baptist, while the profile of the other half belongs to Jesus Christ.

The left hand lies motionless, in the language of Leonardo “If the figures do not make gestures that express the idea with members of the body human soul, then these figures are twice dead.” The right hand looks more “believable”. All this confirms that in the image of Mona Lisa the artist combined a living and a dead image.

We know that he encrypted many of his works, for example, using the technique of “mirror” writing. Thus, the letters LV or L2 were discovered in the right pupil of Mona Lisa. Perhaps these are initials, or perhaps a code - after all, in the Middle Ages, letters could replace numbers.

According to researcher Carla Glory, behind the silhouette of Gioconda on the canvas genius master brushes by Leonardo da Vinci depict the picturesque surroundings of the town of Bobbio, which is located in northern Italy. This conclusion was expressed following a message from the head of the Italian National Committee for the Protection of cultural monuments Silvano Vinceti - journalist, writer and discoverer of the tomb of Michelangelo da Caravaggio.

The publicist said that he examined the outline of letters and numbers on Leonardo’s priceless canvas. It was about the number “72”, which is under the arch of the bridge, visible to the left of the Mona Lisa. Vinceti himself believes that this is a reference to the mystical theories of Leonardo da Vinci.

Glory Carla believes that the mark “72” indicates the year 1472, when the Trebbia River, which came out during a flood, carried down and destroyed the dilapidated bridge. Later, the Visconti family, which dominated the area at that time, built a new bridge. Everything except the image of the bridge is the magnificent landscape that could be seen from the terraces and windows of the local medieval castle.

The town of Bobbio was famous for the fact that nearby is the grandiose monastery ensemble of San Colombano, which became the prototype for the setting for romantic story Umberto Eco in The Name of the Rose.

Carla Glori also suggested that his model was not the wife of a wealthy city dweller, Lisa del Giocondo, but the daughter of the Duke of Milan, Bianca Giovanna Sforza. The place depicted on the canvas is not the central part of Italy, as previously assumed. The father of the proposed model, Lodovico Sforza, was one of Leonardo's main customers and a renowned philanthropist.

The historian Glory suggests that the painter and naturalist visited him both in Milan and in remote Bobbio. There was a library famous in those days, which fell under the authority of the Milanese rulers. Skeptical researchers claim that the patterns of numbers and letters discovered by Vinceti in the pupils of the Mona Lisa’s eyes are nothing more than cracks that appeared there over time.

However, this is not necessarily the case. An example of this amazing story research of the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, which is located in Mexico.

The most terrible puzzle of Leonardo da Vinci

Combining the qualities of a scientist and a clairvoyant, in his old age Leonardo made a strange drawing - “The End of the World”, which was not understood then. Today it terrifies us: it is the outline of a huge mushroom growing out of an exploded city...

Some scientists and researchers are confident that some of Leonardo's puzzles have already been solved, for example:

1. “An ominous feathered race will fly through the air; they will attack people and animals and feed on them with a great cry.” It is believed that we are talking about airplanes, helicopters, and missiles.
2. “People will talk to each other from the most distant countries and answer each other.” Well, of course, this is a telephone, mobile communications.
3. "Sea water will rise to high peaks mountains, to heaven and will fall again on the dwellings of people. It will be seen how the most big trees the forests will be carried by the fury of the wind from east to west.”
   It is believed that this prophecy is related to global warming.

It is impossible to list all of Leonardo's works. But even this small part is enough to get an idea of ​​this universal genius, which cannot be compared with anyone who lived in his time.

Everything has its mysteries, and art is no exception. One of unsolved mysteries- This is the painting “La Gioconda” (“Mona Lisa”) by Leonardo da Vinci.

There are numerous discussions around her regarding the beauty and smile of the character in the picture. All viewers and critics agree on only one thing - the picture makes an amazing and unusual impression. Explanations for the mysterious smile appear very often. There are those who believe that the effect of a flickering smile is associated with distinctive features human vision. Others argue that the painting's smile is obvious when the observer looks at any detail of the girl's face other than her lips.

Be sure to visit the Louvre while in Paris and look at Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. However, try not to be alone with the painting, because many strange cases are associated with it. Some people felt melancholy, sad, or began to cry after looking at the painting for a long time. Although, it is almost impossible to be alone with this picture today; the hall is usually literally packed with tourists.

Leonardo da Vinci was called to Rome by Giuliano de' Medici to paint a portrait of Signora Pacifica Brandano. She was the widow of a Spanish nobleman, with a gentle and cheerful character, good education and was an adornment to society. A workshop was set up for the artist. The girl had to maintain a constant expression on her face, for this purpose during the sessions music was played, songs were sung and poems were read.

The portrait was painted for a long time, carefully drawing out the smallest detail. That's why the girl in the picture looks like she's alive. Some people had a feeling of fear that a monster or something else might appear in the picture. The famous smile fascinates with its mystery, evoking extraordinary sensations, it calls the viewer. Despite this, the picture has been replicated in the world more than any other; it is everywhere, including wallpaper for smartphones (for example, there are some on appdecor.org).

Many claim that Leonardo himself had a similar smile. This can be seen in the painting of his teacher, where Da Vinci served as the model. It is because of this that some have suggested that Mona Lisa is a self-portrait of the artist in female form. A computer comparison of the painting with a self-portrait did not refute this assumption. However, despite this, it is too early to say that this is a true version.

Pacifica's fate cannot be called easy. The marriage was short-lived due to the death of her husband, Giuliano Medici did not want to take his mistress as his wife, and his son was poisoned. Soon the Medici had to marry for convenience; he did not want to upset the bride with a portrait of his mistress, so Leonardo had to change the painting, which was already completed.

Pacifica had a tendency to attract men and seem to take their lives. There is an assumption that her nickname was “Gioconda”. This word is translated as “playing.” Signora Pacifica left her mark not only on her lover, but also on the artist, who became increasingly worse after painting the portrait. Da Vinci begins to feel strange. Apathy, which was not there before, and fatigue fall upon him. The hand shakes more and more and it becomes more difficult to work.

After finishing the portrait and leaving for France, Leonardo created for the king new palace, but the work was no longer the same high level, like before. He lost energy and became apathetic. Then he doesn't get out of bed for weeks, and right hand stops obeying. At the age of 67, the artist dies.

Initially, it was believed that the girl depicted in the painting was 25-year-old Lisa, the wife of the Florentine magnate Giocondo. Actually, that’s why the portrait in some albums and reference books had an ambiguous name - “La Gioconda.” Mona Lisa."

A. Venturi in 1925 admitted that the portrait depicts Constanza d’Avalos, the mistress of Giuliano Medici. The assumption was based on a poem by the poet Eneo Irpino, but there is no other evidence of the veracity of this version.

It was only in 1957 that C. Pedretti proposed the idea of ​​Brandano's Pacifica. It is considered the most correct, thanks to the documents and the circumstances described above. There is an opinion that Pacifica was an energy vampire. These are people whose aura volume is less than that of ordinary people, as a result they can be absorbers vital energy their relatives, causing apathy, weakening of the body and serious health problems. That's why unusual portrait Pacifica has such an effect on people who look at it for a long time.

We should not forget about the experiments of Leonardo, who wanted his paintings to evoke strong emotions. He dreamed of making the viewer horrified or, conversely, bewitching him. His knowledge of anatomy, “sfumato”, chiaroscuro, the mysterious smile of a woman in a portrait and drawing the smallest details- all this created a living creation.

Destruction of “Gioconda’s Smile” would be a crime, because in the world there are many paintings that affect people. We just need to take measures to ensure that these paintings influence people less. For example, limit the time spent near them, or warn visitors.

Mountains of paper are written about the mysteries of La Gioconda. Art critics, journalists and simply enthusiasts have been arguing for decades about what the Mona Lisa’s smile means, whether it’s a fake hanging in the Louvre, and who is even depicted in Leonardo’s portrait?

Try to do the impossible and forget that La Gioconda is a painting of paintings. What do you see in front of you? A small-sized portrait of a not very beautiful and modestly dressed woman in her early youth. Why did she push aside such strong competitors as Nefertiti on the podium, “ Sistine Madonna"Raphael or "Venus before the Mirror" by Velazquez?

The cornerstone behind the popularity of La Gioconda is the genius of Leonardo da Vinci.

True, Leonardo did not leave his signature, date, or model’s name on the portrait. Not a single preliminary drawing has been preserved in the artist’s albums, not a single word about “La Gioconda” in his diaries. But there is no doubt about Leonardo’s authorship: the quality of the portrait speaks for itself.

No matter how hard they try, scientists still cannot establish the exact date of birth of the Mona Lisa. Somewhere between 1503 and 1506. For some reason, Leonardo did not give the portrait to the customer and took it with him until his death.

The first person who “transfused” the glory of Gioconda into words was the artist and art critic Giorgio Vasari. The author of the best-selling book “Biographies of the Most Famous Painters, Sculptors and Architects” wrote: “Leonardo undertook to make for Francesco del Giocondo a portrait of his wife Mona Lisa... This image made it possible for anyone who wanted to understand how art can imitate nature to easily see this , for it conveyed all the smallest details that are only accessible to the subtleties of painting... The portrait seemed something more divine than human, and was considered a wonderful work, for life itself could not be different.” It is very important that he gave this assessment without ever seeing the painting in person, but only expressing the general opinion of the artists’ workshop. Vasari’s verdict determined the high reputation of “La Gioconda” among professionals for centuries.

In addition, the future superstar owes his successful “stage name” to the author of “Biographies...”: Mona Lisa Gioconda. After all, apart from Vasari’s message, there is not a single piece of evidence that the portrait depicts the wife of a silk merchant from Florence. On the contrary, everything contradicts this. Leonardo was at the zenith of his fame; he was literally besieged by crowds of crowned customers. Why on earth would he paint a portrait of an unremarkable wife of a certain merchant?

The first reliable report about the famous painting comes from the secretary of the Cardinal of Aragon, Antonio de Beatis. But there is not a word in it about the Mona Lisa Gioconda. De Beatis visited Leonardo's studio shortly before the artist's death and wrote in his diary that he saw "a portrait of a Florentine lady, made from life at the request of Giuliano de' Medici." Mona Lisa Gioconda had nothing to do with the Duke of Namur Giuliano. Later, scientists selected several candidates for the role of Leonardo's model. The first “emancipe” of Europe, Duchess of Mantua Isabella d'Este, with whom Leonardo was friends and corresponded, had more chances than others. Looking at her Leonardo pencil portrait, you can catch a resemblance to famous painting from the Louvre. But neither Isabella d'Este nor any other brilliant aristocrat "caught on" with the public.

WITH light hand Vasari, most people are sure that the portrait of Leonardo is Mona Lisa, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. Hence the second name of the painting - “La Gioconda”. The real Mona Lisa married at the age of sixteen to a widower much older than her, who by that time had buried two wives. She lived the boring life of an impoverished noblewoman, married off by her parents for money.

The decisive role in the rise of La Gioconda to the highest level of fame was played not by artists, but by romantic writers. Before them, everyone considered the Mona Lisa to be just a playful, cheerful Italian beauty. In Italian, "la Gioconda" means "cheerful, playful woman." Romantics found an ideal in her femme fatale, created the greatest genius of all times and peoples, Leonardo da Vinci, whom they worshiped. These ideas matured in the poets' quarter - the Latin Quarter of Paris, in discussions in cafes of romantic youth. Then they spread all over the world.

Mysterious smile“Mona Lisas” became a painting discovery for intellectuals from the middle class, who were the main visitors to the Louvre, in addition to artists and clochards who warmed themselves there in winter.

Another contribution of the romantics to the myth of La Gioconda is a touching story about love that broke out at first sight between the genius Leonardo and his model. Its author is the great visionary Jules Verne. In his early play“La Gioconda” he portrayed her as the mistress of the great Florentine. Thus, in the minds of reading Europe, arose love triangle- a handsome young artist, an old merchant husband and a beautiful Mona Lisa. And no one cared that in reality Mona Lisa’s husband was much younger than Leonardo, and the authorities persecuted the artist himself for homosexuality.

And yet: why exactly did Leonardo da Vinci’s “La Gioconda” become a superstar?

Leonardo created a brilliant and incredibly mysterious portrait - the portrait of Gioconda (Mona Lisa). Viewers, looking at him, perceive her feelings differently, and it is impossible to unambiguously characterize internal state of the woman depicted. What remains inexplicable is what lies behind the extraordinary technique used in the portrait - after all main mystery him in an inexplicable facial expression, in an incomprehensible “escaping” smile.

SO WHAT IS THE SECRET?

Researchers have been struggling to solve the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile for many years. Almost every year there is a scientist who reports: “The secret has been revealed!” Some believe that the difference in perception of Mona Lisa's facial expression depends on the personal mental qualities of each person. To some it seems sad, to others thoughtful, to others crafty, to others even evil. And some believe that Gioconda doesn’t even smile at all! Other scientists believe that the issue lies in the peculiarities of the author’s artistic style. Allegedly, Leonardo applied paints in such a special way that the face of Mona Lisa is constantly changing. Many insist that the artist depicted himself in a female form on the canvas, which is why such a strange effect was obtained.

Modern scientists are also analyzing the mysterious portrait. Using a computer, they tried to decipher Gioconda's smile - the Urbana-Champaign computer program, created by scientists from the Netherlands and the USA, analyzed the main facial features, the curve of the lips and wrinkles around the eyes, and then assessed the face according to six main groups of emotions. If you believe the software calculation, then we can say that the Mona Lisa in the painting by Leonardo da Vinci is 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% full of fear and 2% angry.

Medical opinions require special attention. Dentist and painting expert Joseph Borkowski believes that the Mona Lisa's facial expression is typical of people who have lost their front teeth. And the Japanese doctor Nakamura discovered a lesion in the corner of Gioconda’s left eye and concluded that she was predisposed to heart disease and suffered from asthma. Another version - about facial nerve paralysis - was put forward by otolaryngologist Azur from Auckland and Danish doctor Finn Becker-Christiansen, who suggested paying attention to the fact that Gioconda right side smiles, and grimaces with his left. In addition, he even discovered symptoms of idiocy in Mona Lisa, citing the disproportionate fingers and lack of flexibility in the hand. But, according to the British doctor Kenneth Keel, the portrait simply conveys the peaceful state of a pregnant woman.

They say...that it is the Mona Lisa model great artist owes his death. That many hours of grueling sessions with her exhausted the great master, since the model herself turned out to be a bio-vampire. They still talk about this today. As soon as the picture was painted, the great artist was gone.

Who is Mona Lisa?

Many copies were broken during disputes regarding the establishment true personality the lady depicted in the portrait. The Italians call her "Gioconda", which means "carefree, frivolous woman." On French the word La Joconde has a similar meaning, which gives rise to many thoughts and theories about the Mona Lisa's smile.

One popular theory suggests that this lady is Duchess Isabella of Aragon. For 11 years, da Vinci was the artist of the family of the Duke of Milan and could well have painted a portrait of the Duchess, calling it “Mona Lisa”.

Other researchers claim that the painting may depict the mistress of Giuliano de' Medici, one of Leonardo da Vinci's patrons.

A relatively recent idea was the suggestion by School of Visual Arts (New York) employee Lillian Schwartz that the Mona Lisa is a female version of da Vinci himself. Thanks to digital analysis, she discovered that some of the facial features of Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa are remarkably consistent with each other.

Despite the above theories, it is now widely accepted that Leonardo immortalized the image of Lisa Gherardini, the third wife of the richest Florentine merchant, with silk fabrics by Francesco del Giocondo. And the word “Mona,” as Giorgio Vasari, who wrote and published a biography of Leonardo da Vinci in 1550, pointed out, is usually used instead of the Italian word “Madonna,” translated into Russian as “mistress” or “madame.” Thus, the name "Mona Lisa" simply means "Lady Lisa".

How does she smile?

The mysterious smile of the Mona Lisa is a source of inspiration for some and cruel despair for others. In 1852, Luc Maspero, French artist, jumped out of a fourth-floor hotel window in Paris and fell to his death. In his suicide note it was said that he chose death after years of trying to understand the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile. Today, visitors to the Louvre ask themselves and others the same thing: how does she smile?

The Italians answer this question by referring to the sfumato technique, which was developed by da Vinci. In Italian, sfumato means “disappearing like smoke” or “haze.” The use of this technique introduced ambiguity and blurriness into the portrait, leaving the viewer's imagination to interpret it. This method uses a special combination of tones and colors, resulting in the illusion of depth and volume.

Dr. Margaret Livingston, a Harvard neurologist, explains the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile by referring to the structure of the human eye. The part of our organ of vision involved in direct gaze allows us to recognize details, colors and read small print, while the peripheral parts of the eye read shadows, distinguish achromatic (black and white) colors, and also capture movement.

When a person looks at the Mona Lisa, the "direct gaze" region is focused on her eyes, leaving the peripheral area of ​​her mouth. Because peripheral vision is less accurate and lacks detail, the shadows on Mona Lisa's cheekbones increase the curvature of her smile.

However, once the viewer looks at Mona Lisa’s mouth, the “direct gaze” region does not read the shadows, and the face in the portrait no longer appears to be smiling so widely. Thus, the appearance and disappearance of Mona Lisa's smile actually lies in the visual characteristics of the beholders.

No matter how many theories have been created, the Mona Lisa remains a mystery today. The brilliant brush of Leonardo da Vinci, like centuries ago, evokes surprise, admiration and inspiration in everyone who has ever looked at the Mona Lisa.