When man landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, something in me died. Sure, it was a leap forward in science but it was step backward in music and poetry—the end of the moon’s mystery.
Suddenly, the soft, beautiful feelings evoked by songs such as Fly Me to the Moon, Moon River, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Moonlight Becomes You, and Blue Moon had been reduced to the hard reality of rock samples, molecules, spacecraft, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin.
This was exactly how I felt, again, after the mystery behind the identity of “Mona Lisa” was solved early this year.
Leonaro da Vinci’s magnum opus is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, and parody. Historians have wondered whether the smiling woman may have been da Vinci’s lover, his mother, or the artist himself.
Enabled by grace to visit the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France a few years ago, I was able to view the cordoned-off painting two meters away. My hair stood on ends. Oh, that mysterious smile, that mysterious woman!
Back in Manila, when I told my artist friends about it my experience, their eyes misted.
Well, those goose bumps and tears are gone now. German academics at the Heidelberg University Library believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery of the "Mona Lisa." They say dated notes scribbled in the margins of a book in October 1503 confirm that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model of this famous portrait. The notes were made by a Florentine city official Agostino Vespucci, an acquaintance of the artist.
The comments say da Vinci was working on three paintings at the time—one of them a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. She has long been suspected as the most likely model for the 16th century painting but was never proven till now.
Art experts say this discovery is a breakthrough. "There is no reason for any lingering doubts that this is another woman," Leipzig University art historian Frank Zoellner said. “Mona Lisa” is also known as "La Gioconda" (joyful woman in Italian). These two titles both have the woman's first name and married name!
My miniature print of "Mona Lisa" had been delicately wrapped and stowed away like it was the original itself. After the discovery of the model’s identity, I brought it out. Somehow, it is not as precious as it used to be.
With my shades on, I look more mysterious.
Suddenly, the soft, beautiful feelings evoked by songs such as Fly Me to the Moon, Moon River, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Moonlight Becomes You, and Blue Moon had been reduced to the hard reality of rock samples, molecules, spacecraft, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin.
This was exactly how I felt, again, after the mystery behind the identity of “Mona Lisa” was solved early this year.
Leonaro da Vinci’s magnum opus is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, and parody. Historians have wondered whether the smiling woman may have been da Vinci’s lover, his mother, or the artist himself.Enabled by grace to visit the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France a few years ago, I was able to view the cordoned-off painting two meters away. My hair stood on ends. Oh, that mysterious smile, that mysterious woman!
Back in Manila, when I told my artist friends about it my experience, their eyes misted.
Well, those goose bumps and tears are gone now. German academics at the Heidelberg University Library believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery of the "Mona Lisa." They say dated notes scribbled in the margins of a book in October 1503 confirm that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model of this famous portrait. The notes were made by a Florentine city official Agostino Vespucci, an acquaintance of the artist.
The comments say da Vinci was working on three paintings at the time—one of them a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. She has long been suspected as the most likely model for the 16th century painting but was never proven till now.
Art experts say this discovery is a breakthrough. "There is no reason for any lingering doubts that this is another woman," Leipzig University art historian Frank Zoellner said. “Mona Lisa” is also known as "La Gioconda" (joyful woman in Italian). These two titles both have the woman's first name and married name!
My miniature print of "Mona Lisa" had been delicately wrapped and stowed away like it was the original itself. After the discovery of the model’s identity, I brought it out. Somehow, it is not as precious as it used to be.
With my shades on, I look more mysterious.
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