Renaissance - Da Vinci - Mona Lisa

Question 1

Who is the sitter in the painting

Answer 1

Believed to be Lisa - the wife of Francesco di Bartolomeo de Giocondo, a wealthy Florence merchant

Question 2

What is the Mona Lisa commonly called

Answer 2

La Giocondo

Question 3

Describe the composition of the painting

Answer 3

Triangular composition - hands form the base, her elbows form the vertexes, head forms the apex
Half-body Portrait
Monumental quality of a sculpture

Question 4

Techniques used

Answer 4

Sfumato - around the lips (hazily-outlined lips)
Chiaroscuro
Aerial/atmospheric perspective

Question 5

Colours used

Answer 5

Muted colours in the landscape
Dark colored clothing
Harsh contrasts between dark and light

Question 6

What year was the Mona Lisa painted in

Answer 6

1504

Question 7

Discuss the position of the body

Answer 7

Head and body faced the right while her eyes are looking at us - revolutionary at the time because Italian portraits before this were usually strictly profile or frontal

Question 8

What is the mood of the painting

Answer 8

Unsure as you can’t tell if she is happy or sad

Mystical mood because of background

Question 9

What happened to the painting

Answer 9

Believed he didn’t give it to the patron
He died in 1519 with the painting
Later is was brought to the king of France
Now it is in the louvre in Paris