Who Is Mona Lisa?

Story: M ISMAIL
Photos: SHERONE TAN
Images of Mona Lisa: Most Famous Paintings www.most-famous-paintings.org

IT is interesting to find a recent article on Mona Lisa at http://buzz.yahoo.com/ just several hours after finishing my story on the very topic.

The most recent claim was made by Italian art historian, Silvano Vinceti, who said da Vinci was actually painting Gian Giacomo Caprotti who modeled as Mona Lisa. Gian, better known as Salai, is a male apprentice and that he was possibly da Vinci’s lover.

www.most-famous-paintings.org

Sherone's attempt at capturing Mona Lisa on her camera.

Vinceti even held a press conference in Rome on Wednesday this week to make public his “finding”. And of course the expected happened – web searches soared, if not exploded!

I, of course, will not mention here Vinceti’s claim because personally a lot of theories have surfaced over the years but none of us will ever know the truth about what was going on in da Vinci’s head when he painted any of his works for that matter.

I am happy to read about whatever findings there may be but not pursue speculating what’s what. The interesting twist to the news was the reactions of readers about da Vinci being gay (homosexual). I’m surprised that people are surprised. The practice of homosexuality is said to date as early as the 1900s. Some claims even state it goes even before 1900. 

Anyway, I will not go further into people’s sexual preference but Mona Lisa instead. And it’s interesting to note how different people perceive Mona Lisa’s beauty differently.

Sherone, a friend who I wrote about in my post http://newsflashmedia.blogspot.com/2011/02/french-history-at-louvre.html, said she did not “see” Mona Lisa’s beauty when she got “upfront and personal” with the world’s most famous painting during her visit to the Musée du Louvre in France.

Millions of people come to view the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, France.

"I cannot recall which movie that brought Mona Lisa to my little world. I believe everyone in my generation knew Mona just because we knew," Sherone said.

The day Sherone "met" Mona Lisa was also the day she turned 39.

"I got up really early that day because the concierge at the hotel I was staying at told me the queue can be very long during summer.

"Even though I got up early, I am still tight of time. I brought a baguette and a cup of coffee on the way to the Louvre knowing it might take up to three hours to get in," Sherone added.

When Sherone got to the Louvre there was already a long queue, longer than she ever imagined!

"It took me about 25 minutes just to get to the end of the line, which snaked around the famous Glass Pyramid right up to the Cour Carree!" she said.

That's Sherone looking at the camera trying to get into the queue.

Sherone is known for her impatience and she will not be caught dead in a queue, not even for food.

"Normally if I see such long line, I will turn back and go home but this is MONA! I am so prepared mentally and physically to stand in line for three or more hours!" she added.

I for one don’t share the same opinion of millions of others that Mona Lisa is beautiful. I think it’s a beautiful painting but I don’t think the “model” itself is that stunning.

In researching or rather reading a little bit more about this stunning work I came across what French art expert, Pascal Cotte revealed from his research, that: “… Mona Lisa had eyebrows.” Okay, I’m speechless.

Botero's Mona Lisa, age 12.

But the beautiful Mona Lisa in my eyes is the one painted by Fernando Botero, which I find adorably artistic.

There’s an explanation in Answers.com on how Fernando Botero first started painting the Mona Lisa.

Quote: “Originally Fernando Botero didn't set himself to paint a young Mona Lisa. He had painted a Colombian girl (aged 12).

While he was living in New York City in the early sixties, the woman that cleaned Botero's apartment saw the painting and told him that it resembled the Mona Lisa.

Botero picked-up on that comment, modified the painting and renamed it, Mona Lisa, age 12.”

 Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_Fernando_Botero_paint_Mona_Lisa_at_age_12#ixzz1CsrBFNcn