Mona Lisa makes headlines again, after a vandalism attempt
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, one of the most discussed portraits in the history of art, displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, is once again in the news, after a 36-year-old man hurled a handful of cake and tried to smash the glass protecting the world’s most famous painting on Sunday.
According to the videos that went viral in the social media, the man in a wheelchair, wearing a wig and apparently posing as an elderly woman, attacked the most famous painting while hundreds of visitors were there, and it is suspected that the vandalism was an act of apparent environment-related publicity stunt.
A video posted online shows the perpetrator speaking to visitors in French as he is escorted away by security. “Think of the Earth, people are destroying the Earth... Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”
Since the masterpiece is in a safe enclosure, it was not damaged and the attacker was taken into custody and sent to a police psychiatric unit.
Mona Lisa
Vandalism in past too
This is not for the first time that the painting has come under attack, and the 16th-century Renaissance masterpiece has been targeted on a few occasions in the past.
In the beginning, it was stolen in 1911, by a museum employee. However, he was nabbed before he could sell it to an art enthusiast.
Then, in 1956, a man threw sulfuric acid at the painting, while it was on tour in Montauban, France. However, since there was a protective glass case, the painting was not damaged. After a few months a tourist threw a rock at the painting thus breaking the glass case, and a small piece damaged the painting, which was later restored.
Then, in 1974, while it was being exhibited in Tokyo, a woman in a wheelchair unsuccessfully attempted to spray red paint on it, in protest over the work’s lack of accessibility to people needing ramps.
In 2009, a Russian woman who was apparently frustrated after being denied the French citizenship threw a cup of hot coffee, but fortunately, she failed to leave her mark, as the protective glass prevented it from hitting the painting.
Since it is one of the most precious paintings in the world, the Mona Lisa has been protected by a sheet of bullet proof glass since 1960. Further, now it includes a sealed enclosure that consists of a 1.52-inch-thick glass able to withstand permanent temperatures of 43 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent humidity.
Incidentally, During World War II, the Mona Lisa was singled out as the most-endangered artwork in the Louvre, and it was evacuated to various locations in France’s countryside, to protect it from any attacks. It was only after peace was declared that it returned to the museum, in 1945. Over the years, it has travelled to many countries including the US, Russia and Japan, amid tight security. However, the Louvre, which is the largest museum in the world, housing hundreds of thousands of works, is the permanent location of the world famous painting.
This is not for the first time that the painting has come under attack, and the 16th-century Renaissance masterpiece has been targeted on a few occasions in the past.
In the beginning, it was stolen in 1911, by a museum employee. However, he was nabbed before he could sell it to an art enthusiast.
Then, in 1956, a man threw sulfuric acid at the painting, while it was on tour in Montauban, France. However, since there was a protective glass case, the painting was not damaged. After a few months a tourist threw a rock at the painting thus breaking the glass case, and a small piece damaged the painting, which was later restored.
Then, in 1974, while it was being exhibited in Tokyo, a woman in a wheelchair unsuccessfully attempted to spray red paint on it, in protest over the work’s lack of accessibility to people needing ramps.
In 2009, a Russian woman who was apparently frustrated after being denied the French citizenship threw a cup of hot coffee, but fortunately, she failed to leave her mark, as the protective glass prevented it from hitting the painting.
Since it is one of the most precious paintings in the world, the Mona Lisa has been protected by a sheet of bullet proof glass since 1960. Further, now it includes a sealed enclosure that consists of a 1.52-inch-thick glass able to withstand permanent temperatures of 43 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent humidity.
Incidentally, During World War II, the Mona Lisa was singled out as the most-endangered artwork in the Louvre, and it was evacuated to various locations in France’s countryside, to protect it from any attacks. It was only after peace was declared that it returned to the museum, in 1945. Over the years, it has travelled to many countries including the US, Russia and Japan, amid tight security. However, the Louvre, which is the largest museum in the world, housing hundreds of thousands of works, is the permanent location of the world famous painting.
Mona Lisa being attacked
Mona Lisa: Mystery and history
According to researchers, Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa about 1503, and it was in his studio when he died in 1519. Those days he was living in Florence. It is believed that the artist worked on it over several years, adding multiple layers of thin oil glazes at different times. Small cracks in the paint, called craquelure, appear throughout the whole piece, but they are finer on the hands, where the thinner glazes correspond to Leonardo’s late period, according to art restorers.
Even now the composition technique of this painting is studied by researchers and art students alike. The artist created optical effects by the positioning of the young woman’s eyes and her enigmatic smile. Some people say they feel watched by the Mona Lisa, no matter where they are standing. This demonstrates da Vinci’s scientific and anatomical knowledge. As for the famous smile of Mona Lisa, witness accounts say that a group of musicians played while the painter worked to keep this joyful attitude.
According to researchers, Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa about 1503, and it was in his studio when he died in 1519. Those days he was living in Florence. It is believed that the artist worked on it over several years, adding multiple layers of thin oil glazes at different times. Small cracks in the paint, called craquelure, appear throughout the whole piece, but they are finer on the hands, where the thinner glazes correspond to Leonardo’s late period, according to art restorers.
Even now the composition technique of this painting is studied by researchers and art students alike. The artist created optical effects by the positioning of the young woman’s eyes and her enigmatic smile. Some people say they feel watched by the Mona Lisa, no matter where they are standing. This demonstrates da Vinci’s scientific and anatomical knowledge. As for the famous smile of Mona Lisa, witness accounts say that a group of musicians played while the painter worked to keep this joyful attitude.
Landscape details of Mona Lisa
For the background, the artist used the sfumato technique to create perspective that merges gently. In fine art, the term ‘sfumato’ refers to the technique of oil painting in which colours or tones are blended in such a subtle manner that they melt into one another without perceptible transitions, lines or edges. This was the reason why, with its wonderful synthesis of sitter and landscape, the Mona Lisa set the standard for all future portraits.
Whose portrait it is?
Further, even now it is a mystery as to who was the model for the painting with an equally mysterious smile. Some say it was da Vinci's own mother Caterina. However, some others argue that it was Princess Isabella of Naples, and some sources assure that it is Constanza d’Avalos, a Spanish noble woman. All these speculations apart, historians have also traced some evidence pointing to the possibility of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, who was the wife of a prominent silk merchant. However, it was not delivered to the merchant who commissioned it and da Vinci brought it with him to France by invitation from King François I, it is said.
There are references about the Italian artist bringing along a female portrait with him, when he stayed at Clos Lucé castle (also known as the Manoir du Cloux) near to the Loire Château of Amboise. It was from the royal collection that it later reached the Louvre Museum at the turn of the 19th century, during the French Revolution (1787-99), as the revolutionaries claimed that the royal collection was the property of the people.
Yes, even after nearly 520 years, Mona Lisa is a mysterious delight for every art lover, and whatever happens to it makes headlines globally.
Further, even now it is a mystery as to who was the model for the painting with an equally mysterious smile. Some say it was da Vinci's own mother Caterina. However, some others argue that it was Princess Isabella of Naples, and some sources assure that it is Constanza d’Avalos, a Spanish noble woman. All these speculations apart, historians have also traced some evidence pointing to the possibility of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, who was the wife of a prominent silk merchant. However, it was not delivered to the merchant who commissioned it and da Vinci brought it with him to France by invitation from King François I, it is said.
Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci
Marcel Duchamp's Mona Lisa
Also there are many literary works based on the painting and the myths associated with it. In Dan Brown’s novel ‘Da Vinci Code’, an international crime bestseller, Mona Lisa is the focus of one of the mysteries. Similarly, in 1919, Marcel Duchamp used the image of Mona Lisa to create his milestone work L.H.O.O.Q. Mona Lisa.Yes, even after nearly 520 years, Mona Lisa is a mysterious delight for every art lover, and whatever happens to it makes headlines globally.
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