The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the wor...

The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, created by Leonardo da Vinci with precise geometric composition that places the figure at the very center of the canvas. She sits calmly on a chair without a backrest, her body upright and her face slightly turned toward the viewer. This triangular composition, inspired by the pyramidal structure Da Vinci often used, gives the painting a sense of harmony and serenity.
The relaxed position of her arms and the relationship between her body and the armrest create a feeling of distance between the woman and the observer. Her hands reveal Da Vinci’s deep knowledge of anatomy, which he gained from studying more than thirty human cadavers. The way he depicted only the upper half of the body and made the subject look directly at the viewer was revolutionary at the time, making the Mona Lisa unlike any portrait before it.
In the background, a hazy landscape of mountains and rivers extends into the distance, painted using the aerial perspective technique to give an illusion of depth and atmosphere. There’s a visual contrast between the rocky heights on the right and the lower plains on the left, creating a unique asymmetrical balance.
The sitter wears a dark green silk dress with yellow sleeves and a transparent black veil covering her curly hair. The veil is thought to symbolize mourning, yet her clothing remains simple, not aristocratic. Her eyes seem to follow the viewer wherever they move — an effect achieved through Da Vinci’s masterful control of perspective and symmetry. Although her eyebrows and eyelashes are barely visible, a 2007 high-resolution scan revealed faint traces of both, suggesting they faded over time or were removed during cleaning.
The identity of the woman remains a mystery. Most historians believe she is Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the wealthy merchant Francesco del Giocondo — hence the Italian title La Gioconda. Others suggest she may have been Da Vinci’s mother, or even a disguised self-portrait. Some theories interpret her features as a symbolic fusion of male and female traits, representing Da Vinci’s ideal of universal harmony.
Leonardo used the sfumato technique — the subtle blending of tones without harsh lines — to create soft transitions of light and shadow. This gives her face and enigmatic smile a misty, dreamlike quality. The smile itself shifts between joy and melancholy depending on the viewer’s perspective and lighting, which remains the painting’s eternal mystery.
Through this fusion of art and science, anatomy and geometry, simplicity and enigma, Leonardo da Vinci created a masterpiece that transcends time — a work that continues to fascinate and inspire the world to this day.