Monalisa - The Louvre Museum

No visit to Paris is complete without setting your eyes on the mysterious painting of Monalisa. From 1503 to today, this painting continues to be a topic of discussion; the lady’s mysterious smile and her unproven identity have made the painting a source of ongoing investigation and fascination.

We had missed seeing this great artist’s abode in Tuscany when we visited Italy, and we did not want to miss his painting whilst we were in Paris!

Leonardo was born in on the 15th April 1452, the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci and a woman named Caterina. His renowned paintings apart for Monalisa are the Last supper, and the Vitruvian Man, a drawing which represents a man with the ideal proportions. 

The mysterious lady is groundbreaking for many more reasons than her identity. The artist proved his ingenuity and paved way for future generations.  The few first times for this painting are: A model dressed in loosely fitted clothes instead of the conventional tight figure-hugging attire which we see in the paintings of that era and the three-quarter sitter view broke away from the convention and revolutionized contemporary portrait painting. Monalisa is smiling in the painting, which was unheard of, and not only is she smiling, but she is also smiling at you, always. The lady became an embodiment of the ideal woman (almost) —beautiful, enigmatic, receptive, and still just out of reach.

Though Monalisa steals the thunder, it is pertinent to mention that the museum has many other delights to offer. Renowned sculptors, impressionists’ artists, archaeological collections, antiques and much more. Like the whole city, this museum also demands time, and leisure to soak in the aura of the place, book the whole day and enjoy.