Mona Lisa
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
A woman turns toward the viewer, her resting hands offering stability beneath a face whose expression is harder to pin down. Leonardo’s portrait of Lisa del Giocondo rewards attention beyond its celebrity: misty distances, softened contours and intricate paint layers make a carefully constructed image feel alive. Archival discovery, the examination of a workshop copy and modern chemical analysis provide firmer answers than the many stories attached to its smile.