Mona Lis A Life Discovered By Dianne Hales Essay - 1188 Words

Listed as having the highest insurance value of a painting in history by Guinness World Records, it would demand upwards to $780 million if it were to go to auction. A painting so transcendent of time, yet so indicative of the Renaissance. Ever since I was very young, I have always been inexplicably enamored by the Mona Lisa. Whether the reason for this deep affection is her soft smile, gentle position, the mystery associated with her through the dreamy background, or a combination; she became the background of my computer, my favorite painting, and my love. So, I was enthralled about the opportunity to read the 2014 book Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered by Dianne Hales. Above the synopsis on the back of the book reads a quote, Everybody knows her smile, but no one knows her story: meet the woman who became the most recognized artistic subject of all time—Mona Lisa. Recognizing the supreme worth and love devoted to this painting by Leonardo da Vinci, the book explores the mysterio us identity of the one of the world s most recognizable women, and the context surrounding the portrait. Almost immediately after initially hearing the name Lisa Gherardini, Dianne Hales journalism instincts became aroused. Unlike the majority of people who look at the painting and think of Leonardo, she overflowed with a curiosity of who the woman really was, and sought to uncover an explanation. So, she began to retrace the footsteps of Lisa, and gathered facts wherever she could unearth them.