The Mona Lisa Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Mona Lisa Biography - Essay Example Leonardo da Vinci started working on the on the portrait in 1503 through1506 but kept the portrait until he passed away in 1519. Since then, the portrait has gone round so many people, and presently resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris (Henry and Dana, 49). Da Vinci, an Italian, was an artist who lived during the renaissance period, and was also involved in mathematics, engineering and music among other disciplines. He painted various other pictures apart from the Mona Lisa. It is alleged that he worked on this painting until the time of his death in 1519. The painting was not acclaimed as a masterpiece immediately; it took about 300 years to be recognized outside Italy, the country of origin. In the painting, da Vinci has applied new and innovative techniques at the same time; among the techniques was sfumato and chiaroscuro. Using these techniques, Mona Lisa’s skin appears as if glowing from the oil layers. The anonymity in the portrait lies in the figure behind it, the background and the smile, that many state as iconic. The portrait was transferred to King Francois I after the death of Leonardo da Vinci. The King was an art lover who had collections in his room in the Palace of Fontainebleau. The room was eventually converted into a gallery. Afterwards the portrait was taken to Palace of Versailles, and later taken by King Napoleon for hanging in his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace. The Kings of France considered the Mona Lisa as a prized possession and the portrait was moved through various royal residences over time. In 1793, the Mona Lisa was taken to the Louvre in Paris, as part of the royal art collection. The painting has since had a lot of interesting escapades that have left me fascinated. In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by three men, Vincenzo Perugia and two others. The men gracefully removed the glass casing that was protecting the painting and tucked the painting in a blanket before leaving the