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- A lot of things; nothing ordinary, after all, would be appraised worth around $830 Million (as per 2018 appraisal).
- Leonardo da Vinci painted it towards the end of his career.
- He started work on this painting in 1503/1504 and finished it in 1507.
- That it took him 3-4 years has always been a surprise to people because the painting has never been considered huge by any measures.
- However, there were many ‘firsts’ in the Mona Lisa; one of the techniques, for example, was the sfumato technique, which means there were no sharp borders, and the painting was produced with softened outlines or hazy forms.
- Then there are mountains and rivers in the background; paintings at that time used to have open skies or plain walls in the background.
- Microscopic scrutiny by an Italian committee confirmed that the right eye of the Mona Lisa has initials (LV) of the artist, Leonardo da Vinci, in it.
- But the most popular reason has been her smile.
- It is said that Leonardo da Vinci exploited an optical illusion that makes Mona Lisa’s smile change depending on where you look.
- So, if you look into her eyes, she seems cheerful, but she seems barely smiling when you look at her lips.
Also read:
How did The Mona Lisa become famous?
Image courtesy of Picture by Wikimedia Commons
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