The woman in the scene is shown from approximately her waist up, the first time such a pose had been used in such close-up, in such a way that she dominates much of the available space. Behind her is a fantastic landscape seen as if in the distance, through a window reinforcing the humanist emphasis on nature. The painting is strongly influenced by the techniques developed throughout this period in its focus on realistic modeling and the creation of an illusion of three dimensional space.
Throughout this entire period, Humanism as an ideology was being developed and promoted through a variety of thinkers. The values of this movement held that men should be involved in the world they lived in.
Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch humanist who wrote about the essential humanistic element of true Christian worship, that blind faith or simply following the outward expressions of the church was not sufficient for a true faith.
He urged for a sincere approach to study and religion based on sound principles and a desire for righteousness. Leonardo uses atmospheric perspective and proportion to establish the feeling of three dimensionality and incredible depth in the painting.
Although the woman takes up a majority of the frame, the landscape behind her depicts an entire countryside including agricultural fields and roads as well as wilderness areas and riverfronts. At the level of her heart, men are permitted to move about, but at the level of her head, thoughts remain untamed.
At the same time, it fostered widespread questioning of the wisdom of the powerful Catholic Church. It was from this book that Martin Luther transcribed the Bible into German to make it available to the laypersons of the country just as it was this book that was used by William Tyndale for translation into English for the first time in Kreis, Presuming that this book had a profound impact upon the start of the Reformation is also based upon the fact that the outbreak of the Lutheran movement took place less than a year after the publication of this book.
The fallout of these ideas was that the sumptuous trappings of high society in the form of expensive and exotic silks, ostentatious adornment of expensive jewels and ribbons or other gross displays of wasteful spending began to fall out of fashion in favor of a more down to earth approach. As a part of his superior modeling, Leonardo presents a rich and varied implied texture that remains in keeping with the more humble qualities of the woman.
The gauzy weave of the dress presents a slightly ribbed or ruffed appearance while the scarf around her shoulders is obviously gathered from a much wider strip of fabric.
The heavier fabric of her overdress retains the suggestion of tapestry work around the neckline and the sleeves as a subtle touch of understated wealth. The woman wears no jewels and her juxtaposition with the outer world suggests she must be at least marginally involved in what occurs. Within his painting, Leonardo captures the very essence of the Renaissance Humanist movement.
His focus on the natural world as it is seen in the background is reinforced by his colors and the natural state in which he presents his figure. He demonstrates a strong willingness to break with the rules of tradition in the unusual pose in which he places his subject even while he remains focused on the concept that every person is worthy of artistic attention in his selection of this subject.
What do you think about this theory? I think the simplicity of her is what makes her beautiful. Her features stand out and I think she resembles a natural beauty, which ties into humanism focusing on the realism of humans. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account.
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Tessa Mills. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Like Liked by 1 person. I do agree that the Mona Lisa is a very good representation of the humanist perspective that art showed during this time period. The emphasis on the human form, rather than depictions of wealth or power, show how the human form was beginning to be valued in art. I also like how you mentioned the sheer number of mysteries there are associated with this painting. For a painting that is so iconic and well known, you would think that people would have figured it out after all of these years.
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