Page 115 - 100 Events That Made History
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Mysterious Mona The famous smile
For nearly 500 years, the identity of Mona Lisa’s strange little smile
the lady in the painting was a mystery. intrigues viewers. Is she happy or
Then experts discovered in 2005 that not? Look directly at her eyes, and
the iconic Mona—which means “young at the edges of your gaze you’ll
lady” or “ma’am”—was almost certainly catch a glimpse of a smile.
Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the rich Look at her lips and the
Florentine silk merchant Francesco SMILE IS GONE. This
del Giocondo. In Italian and French is due to the way the eye
the painting is called “La picks up or blurs details
Gioconda,” which is a according to its center of
play on Lisa’s husband’s focus. It is thought that
name, but also means Leonardo deliberately
“HAPPY” or “jovial.” created this effect.
The ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel in the Vatican was
painted by Renaissance
artist Michelangelo.
Before they knew who
Mona Lisa really was,
some people said
Leonardo modeled the
woman on himself!
How it changed the world The Renaissance
With his “sfumato” method, important artistic period, which
The Mona Lisa was created
Leonardo introduced artists
during the Renaissance (meaning
to a revolutionary way of
“rebirth”), the world’s most
working. In creating one
of the most-viewed paintings
lasted about 200 years from 1350.
in the world, he has also
Renaissance painters, sculptors,
helped millions of people
appreciate art. architects, and writers took the best
ideas from the past and looked at
them in NEW WAYS. The resulting
explosion of masterpieces still
astonishes us today.
The Renaissance The High Renaissance of the
reached northern 1480s saw the best in Italian
Europe by the late art. MICHELANGELO, with
15th century. Great masterworks like his Pietà
works included the (left), was one of the
“Arnolfini wedding” sculptors and artists
portrait by Flemish who stunned the world.
painter JAN VAN EYCK.
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