Today, you will discover the history of the most famous painting in the world:  The Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
 

 

The Mona Lisa, also known as Mona Lisa. Because the woman represented in the painting was called Lisa Gherardini. There are several hypotheses as to why the Mona Lisa is called "La Joconde" in French.


The Mona Lisa would be a reference to the name of her husband, Francesco del Giocondo, which was later Frenchized and made more French: la Joconde.


It is also thought that the Mona Lisa is nicknamed "Gioconda" or "La Gioconda" in Italian, which means "the joyful" or "the happy", which is supposed to describe the smiling expression of the woman represented in the painting. This is a name that has been given to the painting over the centuries, it is not known if this is the name that Leonardo da Vinci gave it.


The Mona Lisa is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506.


It depicts a smiling woman, Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant of the time. The painting has become one of the most famous and studied in art history, in part because of its enigmatic smile that has led to much speculation about its meaning.


I remember when I was in elementary school, the teacher brought in a copy of the Mona Lisa painting and displayed it in the classroom. The teacher explained to us that wherever we went in the classroom, the Mona Lisa was watching us. And, it's true! It's pretty crazy! Whether you stand on the left, right, top or bottom, the Mona Lisa follows you with her eyes.


Although the origin of the painting remains a mystery, it is known that Leonardo da Vinci worked on the painting for several years, but never finished it and took it with him to France when he became the king's painter and engineer.


In 1519, upon Da Vinci's death, the painting became the property of the royal family who kept it until the French Revolution in 1797, when it became the property of the state. It has been on display in the Louvre in Paris since 1797.


At that time, the Mona Lisa was not that popular. People started to be interested in the Mona Lisa when it was stolen! In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre.


Did you know that when the Mona Lisa was stolen, the first suspects were Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Appolinaire?


Eventually, it was discovered that the Mona Lisa was stolen by an Italian named Vincenzo Peruggia who believed that the painting should be returned to Italy. Fair.


The painting was recovered in 1913 and returned to the Louvre. Since then, it has become one of the most seen and famous works of art in the world with 7 million people coming every year to admire this painting.

 


See you soon for new adventures, in French of course!