Re: Was Mona Lisa a Man ?
GDAISA,
You’re right that it’s not Mona Lisa’s looks that make her famous. Your opponent deems “ambiguity” as a lack of talent…BUT…art is subjective…and there are many works of art that are ambiguous…and that are open to interpretation. Since art is subjective…you can type “Mona Lisa is an over-rated piece of junk” in your search engine and it will yield websites that support your personal opinion. Similarly, you can also find websites lauding the painting.
The Mona Lisa is not a picture of a famous person, the colors seem dull and gloomy even. But it’s famous because during it’s time period…many people were painted in a stiff way..in mostly profile form…and the whole length of of the body was painted. The Mona Lisa is painted in cropped form…(not her full figure) and since yo see her up close…and the background is muted…it creates a feel of greater intimacy…and other famous artists of that time period tried to emulate it. The position of her body…the fold of the arms…and the width of the body from the neck down create a sort of invisible pyramid that brings the viewers eyes back to the face. I remember learning in an art class in college…that through the elements/principles of design…an artist can direct where he or she wants the viewers eyes to travel. Also, during that time period, many artists would make the background of a painting just as bright in color and detailed as the people in the painting. This made them look less realistic. The reason being that things that are “far away” in the landscape should appear smaller and lighter in color. This is what the perspective in the Mona Lisa captured…it really toned down the background…giving it a more realistic feel. The layering and blending of the colors to the point that gradation becomes almost imperceptible in the clothing and skin color is also a way of creating depth. Sometimes a work of art can be famous because it was “modern” or considered an “accomplishment” for its time period. Also, the “ambiguity” as to the identity of the “Mona Lisa” and her smile…make it mysterious. And for some, it’s the mystery that adds to the charm of the painting. There is such a things as an “ambiguous smile or facial expression”…even in real life…there will be moments when you find it hard to read a person’s facial expression.
I don’t think the Mona Lisa is beautiful…and it’s not my favorite painting. There are other works of art that I like better. But I can appreciate it for it’s various techniques. Creating light and perspective in a drawing is tricky and that is something that artists try to capture/create in their works.
Again, since art is subjective…opinions will vary…and there is no definite right or wrong answer. Even for your opponent to say “No matter what one says, including so called technique…it was/is over-rated”…is an opinion…and his opinion may be shared by others in this world…but that doesn’t make it a “fact.”