October's Lesson
Mona Lisa
One of the most famous paintings in the world is the Mona Lisa. It was painted by an artist who lived five hundred years ago. His name is Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo was a great artist, but he could do many other things too. He was a scientist, an architect, and a mathematician. He liked music so much that he invented his own musical instruments. Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real. Five hundred years ago most artwork didn't look very realistic.
Ever since Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa, people have been talking about her smile. No one knows for sure who this lady was. Or, why she is smiling. And, no matter where you stand to look at her, she is always looking right at you. Try it out here. Move from side to side while looking at her eyes she sees everything.
Have you seen Mona Lisa before? Many people use her image in their own art. She's been seen wearing head phones to advertise music, she's been dressed up as a movie star, she's even been spotted on the side of a barn. If you'd like to see how other artists have used the Mona Lisa in their artwork click here.
The real painting of the Mona Lisa hangs in a museum called the Louvre,
in France. To learn more about this painting and Leonardo visit the Web Museum, Paris.
Art Projects For This Lesson
After you've studied the real Mona Lisa, have fun painting her yourself.
Add your own touches as you make a Mona Lisa
masterpiece. Also, make your artwork into a postcard and mail it to
a friend - it's Mona by Mail.