Monday, March 28, 2011

lisa


you know how they say that shes smiling? i believe in was in The DaVinci Code, i read, a little girl looks at the painting and says, "her smile, it makes her look as if she knows something."
to me, it doesnt really look like shes smiling. maybe shes forcing a slight smile? i can imagine her teeth are clenched, and the smile is really just a tightening of the lips. it doesnt reach her eyes. oh, and her eyes. they look nearly vacant. like she maybe doesnt want to be where she is, and is imagining herself somewhere else. the curve of her mouth looks as though she might want to cry at any given moment. and the way her hands are, it may show grace or poise, or hurt? do you see what i mean? as though her left wrist hurts, or has something on it that she would rather you not see. so she rests her left hand on the armrest, and covers it with her right, gracefully. and then smiles to say "im fine."
and is it just me, or do her left fingers look like theyre clutching the edge of that armrest? like shes trying to hold onto something she cant possibly let go of..... and is she slouching? or just sloping her shoulders, to make it more visually pleasing?
or maybe i just read in too much?

28 comments:

DebbyMc said...

I think she is containing something...pain, impatience, a secret...who knows... I like your analysis!

sweet pea. said...

thanks, debby

Laurie Kolp said...

She's definitely mysterious!

~laurie

Short Poems said...

She or he is really mysterious!
loved your analysis :)

Kristen Haskell said...

To me she looks happy but tired. I think she had just had a child and childbirth back then, yikes, I can't imagine!

L.A Speedwing said...

Hi Sweet, interesting, very interesting analysis. It forces me to see the painting differently. And the more I am watching the hand covering the wrist the more I am thinking " she is hiding something on her wrist!"
I could see that the smile could be seen as a bit forced and i think it could change depending on your mood. She is rather enimagtic. but to me, the eyes do not seem too vacant. There are actually smiling, holding something that she is happy to keep for herself. Like she is saying: "Yeah you could paint me all you want, but you won't know who I really am."
I did a research on wiki and did you notice that Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair—not even eyebrows and eyelashes?
Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck them out, since they were considered to be unsightly.lol.
In 2007, French engineer Pascal Cotte announced that his ultra high resolution scans of the painting provide evidence that Mona Lisa was originally painted with eyelashes and eyebrows, but that these had gradually disappeared over time, perhaps as a result of overcleaning.For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face.
Thanks to keep on visiting my blog. Your last two comments cheered me up.

Marilyn & Jeff said...

I like how you write rambling thoughts, I enjoyed following along with them. I imagine that she was in pain from sitting so long ...and thinking of all the things that she could be doing ...anything rather than sit there for hours on end.

Anonymous said...

A fun read...and I thought the last line was hilarious...did I misinterpret? Vb

Helen said...

Always in the eye of the beholder ... and in the staging of course!

sweet pea. said...

LKHarris: yeah, she is.

Short Poems: thank you

Kristen: hmmm, i think that would make sense..

Speedwing: thanks for all the information... i didnt even realize she has no eyelashes or eyebrows!! so THATS what looked so strange about her =P huh.
and thanks for all your comments, and anytime. i like your blog, and im glad to hear i could cheer you up =)

Marylin: haha, thanks =P i tend to think in rambles, sometimes so i just cram all my thoughts together instead of going through and sorting them out =P hmm, thats interesting, and i suppose it could be very true.

versebender: thanks..... haha, yeah..... maybe i did misinterpret, who knows.... =D

Helen: but of course =)

Tumblewords: said...

It's possible she will always remain a mystery...but it allows us to make our own stories and yours is wonderful!

sweet pea. said...

thank you, tumblewords

Donna B. said...

A mysterious woman with her secrets...

indiwriter said...

nice bit of analysis :) I tried the wrist thing sitting in a chair.. probably the 'look' is because poor girl was tense being asked to pose and stay still..

cheerz,

Shari said...

I do see what you mean. You made me look again.

Becca said...

I think part of the beauty of Ms. Lisa is that DaVinci allows our minds to wander and read whatever we want into the painting.

Louise said...

I like your perceptions! Good thinking, and nice take on the prompt.

sweet pea. said...

thank you thank you thank you for all the comments!!

Reflections said...

Love this perceptive piece, analytical... then is all this, your questions, what is so special about her? A captured essence, rather than just a model.

sweet pea. said...

i think it might be. but i dont know if i really ever saw her as a "model"
i dont know why, though.

Carrie Van Horn said...

thought provoking indeed! :-)

sweet pea. said...

=)

Steve Isaak said...

Thoughtful, solid work.

Lucy Westenra said...

I think she has the most "come to bed" face that's ever been painted. But maybe that's because "she" was maybe a man.
And your analysis is a really good read. Thank you.

Sue J said...

She's certainly kept us all guessing over the centuries.

sweet pea. said...

thanks, steve

lucy: ive heard that she was a man..... but i dont know if i want to believe it.... its kinda weird to think about

sue: for sure!! maybe da vinci should have left an explanation note somewhere........

Anonymous said...

fantastic write...

invite you to share 1 to 3 poems to Jingle Poetry potluck now.

first time participants can use old poems or poems unrelated to the theme.

free style commenting,

hope to see you share.



xxx

sweet pea. said...

thanks for the invite, jingle. ill look into it.