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Yes it was. It's a masterpiece by one of the greatest artists of all time. There's a Great Art Explained episode [1] on it that's worth a watch. [1] https://ww
by e4325f 2y ago
Yes it was. It's a masterpiece by one of the greatest artists of all time. There's a Great Art Explained episode [1] on it that's worth a watch.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElWG0_kjy_Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElWG0_kjy_Y
- satvikpendem 2y agoThere are other works by Da Vinci in other museums too but again the Mona Lisa had become uniquely and superlatively special over his other works, and indeed, all other works of art.
- pluc 2y agoEh, I think it caught on because it's simple to describe. Da Vinci's other pieces in the Uffizi are a lot more elaborate and can't be summed up by "portrait with a smile". People like simple.
- cubefox 2y agoThis reminds me of Stanisław Lem's literature theory / theory of everything monograph The Philosophy of Chance [1]. One of the many claims defended in the book was that which works ultimately become famous art depends to a great degree on random chance. The Mona Lisa is an unusually clear example. It doesn't even stand out among da Vinci's other paintings. Another example is music. Whether a piece becomes famous, isn't just influenced by whether it sound good. It also has to hit a specific nerve in the current zeitgeist. If the best House track of all time came out tomorrow, nobody would notice, because the genre isn't popular anymore. The artwork has to be at the right place at the right time, or it will be forgotten by history. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philosophy_of_Chance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philosophy_of_Chance
- Smoosh 2y agoYes, I prefer "Woman with a ferret[1]" myself. A better work in almost every way. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_with_an_Ermine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_with_an_Ermine