The Mona Lisa, arguably the most famous painting in the world, is an oil painting created by Leonardo Da Vinci sometime between 1503 and 1519 during the time he lived in Florence. It now hangs in the Louvre in Paris, France. Da Vinci's style was revolutionary, and set the standard for all future portraits. The painting is a masterpiece of Da Vinci's techniques, and is a unique synthesis of the subject and the landscape behind her. Her hair and clothing are given a soft look by use of fine shading, or sfumato. The background is a vast landscape that goes on seemingly endlessly, which is juxtaposed with the very close, touchable subject of the painting. Its detail shows Da Vinci’s focus on new levels of natural representation of the subject and influenced many artists to come. Leonardo Da Vinci was also known to be fascinated by the ideas of geometric perfection, and whether deliberate or not, the painting exhibits the properties of the golden ratio and the Fibonacci spiral.

Sources:

“Mona Lisa.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 18 Aug. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Mona-Lisa-painting.

“Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa.” ItalianRenaissance.org, 30 Sept. 2015, www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-leonardo-da-vincis-mona-lisa/.I... Source: Encyclopædia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Mona-Lisa-painting.