Mona Lisa
Most famous portrait
The Mona Lisa is a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci, depicting a woman with a famously enigmatic smile.
Housed in the Louvre in Paris, it's arguably the world's most recognized artwork.
The name has become shorthand for any iconic masterpiece or for something whose appeal seems mysterious: She's the Mona Lisa of the collection.
Something hard to fathom
- identityWho someone is
- theoriesExplanations based on evidence
- gazeFixed, intent look
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
landscape · symbolism · underdrawing · eyebrows · columns · provenance · authenticity · secrets
Paris art museum
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- oil paintingArt made with linseed-bound pigments
- canvasHeavy woven cloth
- gallerySpace for displaying artwork
frame · composition · brushwork · glazing · underpainting · varnish · pigment · palette
European cultural reawakening
- chiaroscuroContrast technique in painting
- FlorenceTuscan capital city
- ItalianOf or from Rome's country
- oil paintingArt made with linseed-bound pigments
portrait · perspective · anatomy · humanism · patronage · Medici · workshop · apprentice
Puzzling and obscure
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
- subtleNot immediately obvious
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
- alluringPowerfully appealing
captivating · serene · gentle · intriguing · elusive · inscrutable · sphinxlike · knowing
Widely known, much recognized
- recognizableAble to be identified
- parodySatirical imitation
- reproductionCopying or procreation
- pop cultureMass entertainment and trends
Duchamp · mustache · merchandise · tourist attraction · photography · crowds · postcards · Andy Warhol
enigma
Something hard to fathom
expression · landscape · symbolism · underdrawing · eyebrows · columns · provenance · authenticity · secrets · speculation
Louvre
Paris art museum
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- oil paintingArt made with linseed-bound pigments
- canvasHeavy woven cloth
gallery · frame · composition · brushwork · glazing · underpainting · varnish · pigment · palette · chiaroscuro
Renaissance
European cultural reawakening
- chiaroscuroContrast technique in painting
- FlorenceTuscan capital city
- ItalianOf or from Rome's country
oil painting · portrait · perspective · anatomy · humanism · patronage · Medici · workshop · apprentice · notebooks
enigmatic
Puzzling and obscure
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
- subtleNot immediately obvious
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
alluring · captivating · serene · gentle · intriguing · elusive · inscrutable · sphinxlike · knowing · demure
famous
Widely known, much recognized
- recognizableAble to be identified
- parodySatirical imitation
- reproductionCopying or procreation
pop culture · Duchamp · mustache · merchandise · tourist attraction · photography · crowds · postcards · Andy Warhol · Banksy
- Famous PaintingsStarry Night, The Birth of Venus, Guernica, American Gothic, The Scream
- Cultural ClassicsBeethoven, Mozart, Bach, Shakespeare, Dickens
- Cultural IconsStar Wars, Shakespeare, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse
- European treasuresEiffel Tower, Colosseum, Big Ben, crown jewels, Parthenon
- Italian IconsLeonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo, Marco Polo
- LouvreVenus de Milo, glass pyramid, Winged Victory, I. M. Pei, Code of Hammurabi
Mona LisaStarry Night
Swirling celestial landscape painting
landscape painting · still life · seascape · abstract expressionism
Mona LisaFountain
Structure spouting water skyward
Guernica · The Scream · Campbell's Soup Cans · action painting · abstract expressionism