Bueno, es un cuadrito, pero los «expertos» lo consideran una de las pinturas arquetípicas del renacimiento italiano. Yo lo considero un retrato de segunda categoría. Pero, igual, es uno de los cuadros que hay que conocer para poder decir que uno tiene al menos un chin de cultura. Se dice que es el retrato de Lisa del Giocondo, una muer de alta cuna. Leonardo, flojo como siempre, se tardó tres años pintándolo, pero eso me parece un poco excesivo para un cuadrillo de tan pequeñas dimensiones, (77 x 53 cm) pintado al óleo sobre un panel de álamo y que al final el pintor jamás entrego a la familia Giocondo. Se supone que lo que vemos lo haya pintado entre el 1503 y el 1506, pero dicen…las malas lenguas…que Leonardo siguió dándole toques hasta bien entrado el 1517. El rey Francisco I de Francia compró el cuadro en 1519, despues de la muerte de su autor, y desde entonces la Mona Lisa pertenece a la Republica Francesa. Está expuesto en el Louvre desde 1797. Ahora, os dire que la razón por la cual este cuadrito se ha hecho tan famoso. Porque se lo robaron (El hombre que se robó la Mona Lisa) y después de recuperarlo se lo llevaron en una gira por el mundo entero, saliendo constantemente en todos los periódicos. Fue una campaña de marketing brutal. Ahí tenéis mi opinión. Sí, creo que es importante, pero también, muy importante, es saber el porqué de las cosas.
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Well, it’s a wee, small painting, by Leonardo da Vince, but the «experts» (good grief experts!) consider it one of the archetypal paintings of the Italian Renaissance. I consider it a second-class portrait. But, anyway, it is one of the paintings that one has to know to be able to say that one has at least one measure of culture. It is said that it is the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, a noblewoman. Leonardo, lazy as always, took three years to paint it, but that seems a bit excessive for a square of such small dimensions, (77 x 53 cm) painted in oil on a poplar panel. Well, in the end the painter never gave the painting to the family Giocondo. It is assumed that what we see has been painted between 1503 and 1506, but they say…the gossips… that Leonardo continued to «paint» it until well into 1517. King Francis I of France bought the painting in 1519, after the death of its author. Since then the Mona Lisa belongs to the French Republic. It has been exhibited in the Louvre since 1797. Now, I will tell you that the reason why this wee portrait has become so famous. Because they stole it (the man who stole the Mona Lisa) and after recovering it, they took the painting on a world tour. It appeared constantly in all the newspapers. It was a brilliant marketing campaign. There you have my opinion. Yes, I think it’s important, but also, very important, is knowing the reason why some paintings are important in Art History.
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GRACIAS – CHEERS
JaZzArt en València 
Thank you, Francesco, for your opinion on iconic paintings.
Joanna
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I always wondered why that little painting was so famous and when I found out I realised that it wasn’t for its merits, but for the marketing campaign that took it to stardom. Leonardo has much better portraits. Thank you Joanna, and all the best.
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You are welcome, Francesco!
Joanna
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I agree with you Francesco. The painting is an important part of history and the legacy of Leonardo. However. if we look at the works of Davinci as a whole, we can see that the Mona Lisa is not even close to a masterpiece.
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Absolutely. It is important because of the marketing campaign created to make it famous, but as a work of art, to me, it is a second rate portrait that was glorified, romanticised and written about. Leonardo’s portrait «Lady With an Ermine», to me, is his finest and a true masterpiece. Thank you so much Lina. It is important to talk about art and to continue the conversation throughout the blogosphere. All the best.
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