What is behind the Mona Lisa’s enduring popularity?

Before the heist, the painting was not the artistic sensation it is today. Once news of the burglary broke, it became a ‘mark of shame’ for Parisians and made headlines across the world, with many high profile people being suspected of its theft.

The three men who carried out the crime, however, turned out simply to be handymen. The main conspirator, Vincenzo Peruggia, claimed he stole the painting to return it to its rightful place in its country of origin, Italy.

Why did Peruggia want to take the Mona Lisa to Italy?

It was because of Leonardo da Vinci, who made the painting while living in Italy between 1452 and 1519. Da Vinci was not just a painter. He was a polymath, engineer, scientist, sculptor, and an architect as well.

The Mona Lisa, his most famous painting, was painted in 1503. Many experts believe it to be a portrait of the Italian noble Lisa del Giocondo. Nobles commissioning portraits of themselves and their family was very common at this time. However, da Vinci’s portrait deviates from tradition in many ways: the simple clothing the subject is wearing, the focus on the subject’s face, and the expression on her face, which has been a subject of discussion among observers for hundreds of years.

What makes the Mona Lisa so famous?

The Mona Lisa was well received at the time it was painted but was not regarded as something particularly out of the ordinary or impressive. After da Vinci’s death, the painting was not seen as a hallmark of Renaissance art until at least 400 years later, when a small part of the French art elite began to regard it highly.

So what is it that has made it possibly the most recognisable painting in the world? Theories vary. Some experts say that its cultural impact comes from the mystery surrounding the identity of the woman. Although many believe the painting is of Gioncondo, no official commission was ever found that could prove this theory, causing many to wonder endlessly about the true identity of the subject. Moreover, others believe that it is the ‘mythologising’ of da Vinci that took place in the 19th century that led to the painting’s cultural impact. With the discovery of his journals, da Vinci’s place as a polymath has cemented him in the minds of many as the epitome of the idea of the ‘Renaissance Man,’ elevating the status of his paintings alongside him.

However, others argued that the theft itself is what elevated the status of the painting as it made headlines across the world. The impact of the event was eclipsed by the beginning of the First World War but the post-war reproduction of the painting by artist Marcel Duchamp brought it back into the public eye. Andy Warhol’s reproduction kept it in the cultural zeitgeist well into the late 20th century.

Other incidents of vandalism

The painting has been vandalised several times over the years. Since the late 20th century, the painting has been attacked with a rock, a razor blade, and even with a teacup. As such, the painting is protected behind bulletproof glass.

The Mona Lisa has also been vandalised in an attempt to raise awareness for various political and social issues. In 1974, it was sprayed with red paint in Tokyo to protest the lack of facilities for disabled people at the museum it was being exhibited in. In 2022, it was attacked with a cake to raise awareness about climate change. In January this year, the French group ‘Riposte Alimentaire’ took responsibility for an attack on the painting with a can of soup, claiming it was protesting the condition of contemporary agriculture and pressing for the right to healthy food.

(The author is an intern with The Indian Express.)