POP ART AND MONA LISA

POP ART

Pop Art is the movement in art when artists began to create art with the subject of things that are the iconic in nature such as famous people, advertising, and movies. Pop art is commonly known as being fun, colourful and playful. As much as it can be associated with a child-like playfulness and simplicity, it has quite a bit of art theory to it. The British and the American people were responsible for setting off this type of art in the 1950's and 60's.

One of the most notable pop artists was the artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987). One of Andy Warhol's most famous paintings was that of a Campbell's soup can. Another commonly used person was Marilyn Monroe. Warhol is noted for creating artistic portraits of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol is noted to have mingled with many different subculture circles and must have had some influence on how and why he created the art that was famous for.

Another notable pop artist was Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997). Lichtenstein was drawn to pop art in the 60's. He created art using comic strips as the subject. He also was known for creating pop art style reproductions of master painters like Monet.  In 1962 the world's first public exhibit of pop art was shown at the Pasadena Art Museum. The works included artists Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Dowd, Phillip Hefferton and Joe Goode.



Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, it is perhaps the most famous painting in the world, going so far as to be iconic of painting, art, and even visual images in general. No other work of art is so romanticized, celebrated, or reproduced.

The work, which was accomplished between 1503 and 1506, measures 77 x 53 cm and is an oil painting on wood. It was brought to France by Leonardo when King Francois I invited the great painter to work at the Clos Luc near the king's chateau in Amboise. As a result, the Mona Lisa today hangs in the Louvre in Paris, and is the museum's star attraction.

The identity of the lady in the painting is not known for certain, except that she was a wealthy Florentine. The most probable suspect is Madonna Lisa del Giocondo, although there are other suspects.

Although it is definitely difficult to view the painting critically and ignore all the mythology behind it, it does display a technical mastery that more or less unquestionably seats it amongst Leonardo's masterworks although some count The Last Supper as a better painting.

The compelling nature of the image has been the subject of reams of discussion. In general, it can be stated that the vividness and ambiguity of the facial expression is due to Leonardo's way of painting he used by blurring the most expressive portions of the face (the corners of the eyes and mouth) to give the picture greater mystery. Indeed, the eyes appear to follow the viewer around the room, and the enigmatic smile is the picture's most famous feature (giving us the expression, "a Mona Lisa smile").

The painting was also one of the first portraits to be painted landscape.  One interesting feature of the landscape is that it is uneven. The landscape to the left of the figure is considerably lower than that to the right of her. This has led some critics to believe that it was added later.

The painting has been restored numerous times: unfortunately, some people say several details have been lost in the process, including Lisa's eyebrows and also people suspect a pearl necklace she was wearing as well.

On August 22, 1911, Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who at first believed the painting belonged to Italy and shouldn't be kept in France, stole the painting by simply walking out the door with it hidden under his coat. However, he later got caught due to the fact he tried to sell the Mona Lisa to a Florence art dealer. It was returned to the Louvre in 1913.The Guinness Book of Records counts the painting as the most valuable object ever insured.