The smile has become
a hallmark of Leonardo's style. It is most obvious in the painting of the Mona
Lisa, but also to be seen in most of his other works. There is no
mistaking the same smile and upturn of the left side of the mouth on the face
of St. Anne in the Burlington House Cartoon. That drawing dates from
a bit earlier than the Mona Lisa, somewhere around 1498. Speculation
exists that the smile originated from his mother, Caterina. A less romantic
suggestion is that the painter merely "concerned himself with certain
arrangements of lines and volumes, with new and curious schemes of blues and
greens."
The truth is that
this style of smile was not invented by Leonardo da Vinci. It can be found in a
number of sculptures from the fifteenth century, one of these being Antonio
Rossellino's Virgin; it is somewhat reminiscent of Greek funerary
statues and Gothic statues in medieval cathedrals. The mysterious smile can
also be found very widely in the works of Leonardo's master, Verrocchio and
Leonardo used the same smile in a number of his paintings.
A variety of other
suggestions have also been made as to the reason behind the smile including the
simple idea that during this period in history women were instructed to smile
only with one side of their mouths so as to add an air of mystery and elegance.
An Italian doctor's answer was that the woman suffered from bruxism, an
unconscious habit of grinding the teeth during sleep or times of great stress.
The long months of sitting for the portrait could well have triggered an attack
of teeth grinding. Another reason is the
dental analysis of the Mona Lisa which is based upon the assumption of Leonardo
Da Vinci's accurate portrayal of the features he observed in the subject,
concludes that the enigmatic smile is not a smile at all, but rather a solemn
expression whose appearance is characteristic of people who have lost their
front teeth.
The smile of Mona Lisa
in the painting expresses such happiness, in my opinion. But I think, there is
something troubling her that we cannot see easily. Its meaning lies in
Leonardo’s imagination and ideas, not in some secret skeletal clue buried in a
vault. That is why the painting has remained an enigma to art
enthusiasts and perhaps the most famous painting in the world. Always remember,
art is an idea that has found its perfect visual expression, and design is the
vehicle by which this expression is made possible. It is the foundation of all
the arts.
“Imagination is the
beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire. You will what you imagine
and you create what you will.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
