The Mona Lisa became the Kim Kardashian of her day — everyone knew who she was. Her portrait resides in majestic glory in the Louvre where she is visited by more than 6 million people a year — keen to see for themselves just what makes the Mona Lisa so special. Skip to content Facebook. The Good Life France. Why is the Mona Lisa so famous? Many wonder what it is about this particular painting that make it so very famous… Just why is the Mona Lisa so famous?
Latest Posts. Recipe for savoury Pumpkin souffle Read More ». Culture of Brittany, France Read More ». Related posts. Georges Seurat and the art of pointillism Read More ». The classified arts of France Read More ». Castles you can visit on a day trip from Paris Read More ». Everything You want to know about france and more…. About Us. Painted against a distant landscape, she stares out at us with her famously enigmatic smile Leonardo captured the sitter turning towards the viewer in a natural movement that brings the painting to life.
Take a closer look. On 21 August , panic broke out at the Louvre…the Mona Lisa had disappeared! The news spread like wildfire and generous rewards were promised for her return — but all in vain. Nothing was heard of the painting for over two years. So the Mona Lisa was recovered — and her fame was all the greater. During the Second Empire, it accommodated major legislative sessions presided over by Napoleon III, who insisted on a lavish painted decoration to the glory of the Empire.
After his fall from power in , the room became part of the museum and was used to display 19th-century French painting. At the beginning of the Third Republic, the architect Edmond Guillaume adapted the room to suit its new purpose: the windows were sealed off to make more room for the artworks and a glass ceiling was added, introducing light from above to avoid reflections on the paintings.
Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese…The greatest Venetian painters shared a love of dazzling colours. Find out more about the artwork. At over 6 metres high and almost 10 metres wide, The Wedding Feast at Cana is the biggest painting in the Louvre. From a legal standpoint, the answer to that question is the French government. But from a figurative one? What is perhaps lesser known is that Da Vinci, who was born in Italy but died in France 67 years later, supposedly gifted the painting to his friend King Francois I , who initially housed the portrait in the Palace of Versailles before it was moved to the Louvre.
And therein lies the cultural conundrum. In August , the half-length portrait was stolen from the Louvre by an Italian man named Vincenzo Peruggio. After concealing the painting in his Parisian home for two years, it is understood that the former Louvre worker returned to Italy with it, approached a gallery in Florence, and promptly blew his cover.
After two years of police work and considerable international publicity, the hunt for the painting was over. Brought before the court, Peruggio reportedly argued that the motivation for his crime was patriotic , and he subsequently served seven months of a month sentence.
Indeed, during a promotional tour in for his film The Monuments Men , George Clooney is said to have weighed in on the subject of ownership. According to reports published at the time, the actor supposedly encouraged France to return the portrait to Italy, ultimately drawing further attention to the friction which exists between the two nations on the issue. Unsurprisingly, the move went down like a lead balloon among Italian fans, who took to Twitter to rage against the museum.
Courtrooms, campaigns, and Clooney aside, the latest contention has been stirred up by the most recent relocation.
Indeed, a recent article in The Irish Times serves as a reminder that — for many people — the heritage issue still runs deep. She should be in Florence! So, is the Mona Lisa now woven into the fabric of French national heritage or is she inextricably linked with Italian culture?
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