Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa © Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1506)
Best Interpretation: “I thought old Mona was really a Leonardo self-portrait of him in drag. It was different time without stileto pumps and disco soul.” -Businessmanbob
Issue Jan 2007
Renaissance
17 Responses to “Mona Lisa”
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I never understood why this painting reached the fame and popularity it has. What is so special about Mona? Her physical beauty is not that appealing in comparison to other women painted in the Renaissance era. I’m sure even Leonardo Da Vinci would be surprised with its worldwide success.
I have always been intrigued by what she was thinking. The model is sitting in a chair, looking at the painter. What was going through her mind that caused her to smile like that? Was it an amusing thought that she was trying to hide? Did Leo tell her to make that expression? Was it something he said? Perhaps she was thinking of her lover’s embrace (still so warm and present in her mind), knowing that she was secure in his love and that this person was the one with whom she would spend the rest of her life. Under that smile is assurance, confidence, eternity….
I only connect with the Mona Lisa due to its symbolism of “Muse”. She may have been his true love—the inspiration of his life. Finding your muse is magical, and I hope we are all as cherished as Leonardo in our search of love and happiness.
Mona is supposed to be a female, however I see male characteristics which leaves me in in doubt about Leonardo’s sexuality. A painter can easily hide details, and I think he did that with religious pieces so it is an open door for interpretation about this piece too.
I’ve always just thought it was a nice portrait. It doesn’t so much seem a secret smile to me, as much as a slight but happy smile—a patient, somewhat putting up this whacky painter who is in front of her (I didn’t actually think there was any doubt to his sexuality).
What I’ve never noticed ’til today is the background. Its kind of odd. She doesn’t look like she’s in it really. She looks like she is standing in front of a painting.
It seems tranquil, bucolic, reflecting that smile a bit.
I thought old Mona was really a Leonardo self-portrait of him in drag. It was different time without stileto pumps and disco soul.
Light and dark? Sfumato? Her overrated smile? Her eyes?….maybe the whole figure which takes up good part of the canvas, contrasting an unrealistic backdrop. Maybe one, maybe all, but what appeals to me the most is that the painting captures an inviting personality. Unlike alot of portraits, I am invited in. Drawn in…to stare at her, inquire about her thoughts and personality.
Da Vinci in drag! Hahahahaha.
I recall the first time I saw this painting was on my aunt’s living room at age 8 or 9. She lived in big house and she had a huge copy decorating one of the walls. For whatever reason, the whole setup felt like a Mona Lisa a shrine, and I understood right away that somehow the piece was important…at least for my aunt. I later saw it again in an art encyclopedia, and though I read about it nothing really stuck…I was really interested in “The Nude Maja” more, which was right below on that publication. Years after, it still transmits the same feelings that it did the first time I laid eyes upon it. Somehow she was somebody’s muse…so important to that person that it was his/her will to capture that moment forever. There’s something about the peace in her eyes that’s unforgetable…I remember sitting in my aunt’s sofa and wonder what she was thinking, and sometimes if I did something wrong I would be afraid of looking at the painting knowing she was looking down at me. Kid’s stuff, I know.
Seeing all the closeups from that movie last year one can go on and on creating theories about the importance of the piece itself rather than the person being portrayed. I do wonder who she was though…somehow I never looked it up.
There is nothing fascinating about this portrait, I dont know why it is so famous.
If you have ever wondered why the Mona Lisa is so famous, here is a video you can watch.
I was in The Louvre in Paris. I think it is a portrait of Leonardo because he was gay. This painting has an enigmatic and mysterious attraction.
Why is she so special, I need an answer?
The secret of the Mona Lisa is that it is a man in drag.
No question about it, 100% sure. (I think it is Salai, but it might be a self-portrait).
Not only that, all females were depicted on all paintings by Leonardo—they were men in drag.
Everybody can see with his own eyes.
The problem with Mona is she/he wears clothes, so it is hard too see what is going on.
If you take a look at Leonardo’s sketches, for example “Angel in the Flesh”, his intentions are very clear (a hermaphrodite image of Salai, his name was written on the back of the drawing and later erased). If you look at the painting “Mona Vanna” (black and white) attributed to Salai, you can clearly see a man being transformed in a woman, in exactly the same pose as Mona Lisa.
This painting in fact is a copy by Salai—of a lost original by the master himself.
Yes, there might still exist an naked version of Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. If it once existed I am 100% sure.
Now you people help me out??
The copies bares names as “Mona Vanna” and “Flora”.
I want to see that painting.
And you people take a close look at the images I am talking about if you want to understand the “Mystery” too.
Have fun, Leonardo is laughing, he has been known to pull pranks.
I love this painting. It’s one of my favorites. The way she’s posed is so artistic. I love the way he captured her eyes when they weren’t looking directly at him, and her clothes and the background… I don’t know–something about this painting is just so magical!
Has anyone else noticed that she has no eyebrows? Bizarre.
leonardo’s da vinci…
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read….
The Mona Lisa is in fact a self-portrait of Leo in the attire of a woman. Her name is even an anagram of the God Amon Isla — the god of manly fertility, a hermaphrodite is her secret and she is smiling.