essay on the mona lisa

IX The crab

Analogous to the downward-leading symbolic angles, the perplexing image of a vertically cut body of water enhances the association of an underwater world for the lower third of the painting. In the context of Leonardo's submarine inventions and the associated imaginative world, this even seems plausible.

The hands of the Mona Lisa

The central motif of the lower third of the painting is the hands of the Mona Lisa. They are overlaid in a very special way. A first indication of something special is marked by the golden ratio of the image width, which is located where the lower lines of the hands intersect (mouseover, orange vertical). Given what has been shown so far, it is not surprising that the fingers of the Mona Lisa are aligned with specific angles: 30°, 45°, and 60°. When these are connected, they appear against the background of an underwater landscape and, in conjunction with the fingers that are symmetric to each other in a very special way, they resemble a crab.

The angles of the hands

• From the center of the horizontal golden ratio (orange horizontal), a 60° angle can be drawn to the ring finger of the left hand (white line). From its end, a 75° angle leads over the knuckles to the upper left, to the middle of the height between the lower edge of the screen and the lower wall edge. This creates a symbolical triangle with inner angles of 45°, 60°, and 75° (72° + 3), which is not further explained here
• the blue lines of the crab have an angle of 45°. They form an M-shaped network of lines. Exactly through the center of the "M," the golden ratio of the image width passes (mouseover, orange vertical)
• The middle finger and index finger of the right hand are slightly spread apart, and the angle of the index finger is 30° (orange line). Now it takes only a little imagination to recognize the crab (red areas).

Conclusion: From the bottom of the sea to the highest heights

coming soon

The greatest pleasure is the realization Leonardo da Vinci

Website of the exhibiting museum: Louvre-Museum , Paris

Frank Zöllner, Leonardo, Taschen (2019)

Martin Kemp, Leonardo, C.H. Beck (2008)

Charles Niccholl, Leonardo da Vinci: Die Biographie, Fischer (2019)

Johannes Itten, Bildanalysen, Ravensburger (1988)

Robert Descharnes und Gilles Néret, Dali – Das malerische Werk, Taschen (2001)

Die Bibel, Einheitsübersetzung, Altes und Neues Testament, Pattloch Verlag (1992)

Platon, Timaios, Holzinger (2016)

Highly recommended

Marianne Schneider, Das große Leonardo Buch – Sein Leben und Werk in Zeugnissen, Selbstzeugnissen und Dokumenten, Schirmer/ Mosel (2019)

Leonardo da Vinci, Schriften zur Malerei und sämtliche Gemälde, Schirmer/ Mosel (2011)

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• The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist
• Vitruvian Man

• Date of Creation:
• Alternative Names:
• Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, La Gioconda
• Height (cm):
• Length (cm):
• Art Movement:
• Renaissance
• Created by:
• Current Location:
• Paris, France
• Displayed at:

Musée du Louvre

• Mona Lisa Page's Content
• Story / Theme
• Critical Reception
• Related Paintings
• Bibliography

Mona Lisa Story / Theme

The Mona Lisa is also known as Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, or La Gioconda and as well as being one of Leonardo da Vinci's favorite paintings, it remains the most famous artwork in the world. The artist carried the Mona Lisa with him until he died and was clearly aware of its significance. After the painting was produced there were questions raised about the identity of the sitter. While most people agreed that it was Mona Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk merchant, a lot of people proposed it was, in fact, a self-portrait, and the facial features resemble a later self-portrait by Leonardo. However, despite the fact that little is known about the commissioning of the Mona Lisa, how long it took to complete or payment for the work, an early biography of Leonardo claims that it was indeed painted for Francesco del Giocondo and is a portrait of his wife. It's possible that this work was commissioned to mark one of two events - the purchase of a house in 1503 or the birth of the family's second son in 1502 after the death of their daughter three years earlier. The fine dark veil that covers Mona Lisa's hair is often believed to be a mourning veil, a piece of clothing worn to symbolize social status. Yet, the subject's clothing is rather simple and ordinary and neither her gown nor the scarf around her neck indicates her aristocratic standing. In 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris by a former employee who believed it belonged in Italy. The thief hid the painting underneath his painter's smock and left the museum. He had the painting for two years until he was seized by police and the work was safely returned to its original home.

Mona Lisa Analysis

Composition: The subject is viewed from a frontal position and is seated on a balcony. Her face stands out against two distinct areas in the background: a civilized landscape and an imaginary one. Although the observer has a bird's-eye view of this scenery, there is definite harmony between the figure and landscape. Mona Lisa is wearing very plain clothing which is markedly different from other costumes painted at the time. She wears a very dark, simple dress with a pleated bodice, with gold embroidery. The dress has a low neckline that exposes her chest. She is not wearing any jewelry and a scarf hangs from her left shoulder. There is a veil hanging over her slightly messy hair, believed to be a mourning veil. Color palette: Viewing the Mona Lisa today it appears rather drab, a mixture of dull yellow and brown tones. It seems that the work has been darkened by numerous coats of varnish that have yellowed with age. It is therefore likely that the painting was once more vibrant and colorful than it is now. Use of technique: In this work Leonardo uses sfumato - a technique where sharp edges are blurred by blended colors - which leaves the corners of the eyes and the mouth in shadow. This technique adds ambiguity to Mona Lisa's expression. Another technique employed by the artist is that of aerial perspective which means that the background of the image has been made to look hazier with fewer clear outlines than the foreground. Leonardo was one of the first painters to use this method to add greater depth to his artworks. Materials used: The Mona Lisa was painted on a poplar wood panel that was of extremely high quality and cut from a single piece of wood. On the back it appears that edging paper has been scraped off. An oak frame was used to strengthen the work in 1951 as it was slightly damaged. Use of light: Leonardo cleverly used light to define forms, model them and create a feeling of depth. His sfumato lines disappear into the shadows and into the light and he offers no contrasts or boundaries by faintly blending light and shade in a natural manner. The Mona Lisa is covered with a series of translucent glazes that add to the sense of depth and create a polished surface. Use of space: This painting is the earliest Italian portrait to concentrate on the sitter in a half-length depiction. Its vast dimensions mean that it includes the arms and hands without them touching the frame. Painted to a realistic scale, the portrait has the fullness of a sculpture. Mood, tone and emotion: The Mona Lisa is a visual representation of the ideal of happiness and the landscapes illustrated are very important. The middle distance, on level with the sitter's chest, is painted in warm colors. This is a humanized space complete with a winding road and bridge. This landscape represents the shift between the space of the sitter and the far distance, where the scenery becomes an uninhabited area of rocks and water which stretches to the horizon, which Leonardo has cleverly drawn at the level of the sitter's eyes.

Mona Lisa Critical Reception

Giorgio Vasari

The Mona Lisa earned its place in history thanks to Leonardo's innovative techniques in laying on the paint, his knowledge of anatomy, light, botany and geology, his interest human expression of emotion and his use of the subtle gradation of tone. Such techniques were also employed when he created other masterpieces such as The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks . The Mona Lisa was highly influential in Florentine and Lombard art of the early 16th century. Some aspects of the work such as the three-quarter view of a figure against the countryside, the architectural setting and the hands joined in the foreground already existed in Flemish portraiture, particularly in the works of Hans Memling. However, in the Mona Lisa the spacial unity, the atmospheric illusionism, the grand scale and the sheer symmetry of the work were all original and were also new to Leonardo's work - none of his earlier portraits display such controlled splendor. The success of the Mona Lisa and its continuing popularity is all down to its mystery, more specifically, the elusive smile of the female. By subtly shadowing the corners of her mouth and eyes the viewer is left intrigued as to the exact nature her smile. Vasari, who is thought to have known the painting only by reputation, said that it "was so pleasing that it seemed divine rather than human; and those who saw it were amazed to find that it was as alive as the original" . He adds that the manner of painting would make even "the most confident master ... despair and lose heart. "

Mona Lisa Related Paintings

Portrait of Benedetto Portinari, Hans Memling

Francesco Sassetti and His Son Teodoro

Domenico Ghirlandaio

Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli

Sandro Botticelli

Related works by the artist: Lady with an Ermine, 1490: Mona Lisa's famous smile represents the sitter in the same way that the ermine represents Cecilia Gallerani. With a more traditional pose and added sentimentality, Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine foreshadows the Mona Lisa in its inflection of light and the model's faint, subtle smile. Portrait of Isabella d'Este , 1500: None of Leonardo's rare portrait studies are linked to existing paintings. Some claim that this work is the only one truly comparable to the Mona Lisa. Related works by other artists: Hans Memling, Portrait of Benedetto Portinari, c. 1487: It was in the last quarter of the 15th century, in Italy and particularly in Florence, that artists aimed to convey the personality and physical traits of their subjects. The Mona Lisa combines several innovations, including the spatial solutions previously mastered by Flemish painters such as Hans Memling. Memling's portrait was hung in the Portinari Chapel in the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence in 1487 and Leonardo must surely have seen it. The Flemish principle, pioneered by Jan van Eyck in 1428, was developed to a larger scale by Florentine painters between 1485 and 1490. The Mona Lisa was inspired by such new developments and became a model for other artists. Domenico Ghirlandaio, Francesco Sassetti and His Son Teodoro, c. 1488: The Mona Lisa also drew on the formula that Domenico Ghirlandaio had experimented with twenty years earlier in this work which was the first large-format portrait. Sandro Botticelli , Portrait of a Lady Known as Smeralda Bandinelli, 1470s: Sandro Botticelli painted this life-size portrait just before the Mona Lisa was created. In Botticelli's work the model observes us from a space distinct from the observer's.

Mona Lisa Artist

Baptism of Christ

Andrea del Verrocchio

Although Leonardo da Vinci did not dedicate his entire career to painting, the medium he regarded so highly, it was the Mona Lisa that catapulted him to fame and established his reputation as an artistic genius. A landmark in his career, this work single-handedly combines his research into the landscape, the portrait and facial expressions. Da Vinci employed the technique of sfumato (often referred to as Leonardo's smoke) to produce the Mona Lisa. Other qualities of this work are the simple dress, the dramatic landscape background, the subdued color palette and the extremely smooth nature of the painterly technique, whereby the artist used oils but applied it much like tempera and blended it on the surface to hide any trace of the brush stroke. In the last decades of the 15th century the image of the winding river and path became a pictorial custom for spatial depth. Leonardo had already employed this motif when contributing to the work of his master, Verrocchio, in Baptism of Christ in 1472. With Mona Lisa, Leonardo reverted to the more archaic format of the profile probably due to the royal status of his model. Works such as Mona Lisa are among the most esteemed and reproduced works in the history of art, rivaled only by the masterpieces of Michelangelo. Despite the fact that Leonardo never completed many of his works, and even fewer have survived, he influenced generations of artists and is today regarded as a universal mastermind.

Mona Lisa Art Period

Michelangelo

Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints

In art history, the High Renaissance was a time denoting the pinnacle of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance. Most agree that the High Renaissance began in the 1490s, with Leonardo's fresco of The Last Supper in Milan and ended in 1527 with the sacking of Rome by the troops of Charles V. The High Renaissance was a time of outstanding artistic production in Italy and the best-known examples of Italian Renaissance painting derive from artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and a young Raphael. The images in the Vatican by Michelangelo and Raphael are the epitome of High Renaissance art and their size, ambitious compositions, detailed figures and iconographic references to classical antiquity, are emblematic of this period. Although typically named as the three giants of the High Renaissance, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael were not of the same age. Leonardo was the eldest; he was twenty-three when Michelangelo was born and thirty-one when Raphael was born. Raphael died in 1520 at the age of 37, the year after Leonardo, but Michelangelo's career spanned a further 45 years.

Mona Lisa Bibliography

To explore further about the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci please select from the following recommended sources. • Brown, David Alan. Leonardo da Vinci: Origins of a Genius. Yale University Press, 1998 • Da Vinci, Leonardo. Drawings. Dover Publications Inc. , 1980 • Jones, Jonathan. The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel That Defined the Renaissance. Simon & Schuster Ltd. , 2010 • Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man. OUP Oxford, 2007 • Marani, Pietro C. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. , 2003 • Syson, Luke. Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan. National Gallery Company Ltd. , 2011 • Vezzosi, Alessandro. Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man. Thames & Hudson, 1997 • Zollner, Frank & Nathan, Johannes. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings. Taschen GmbH, 2007

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Leonardo da vinci (1452–1519).

A Bear Walking

• Leonardo da Vinci

The Head of a Woman in Profile Facing Left

Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio

The Head of the Virgin in Three-Quarter View Facing Right

Allegory on the Fidelity of the Lizard (recto); Design for a Stage Setting (verso)

The Head of a Grotesque Man in Profile Facing Right

After Leonardo da Vinci

Head of a Man in Profile Facing to the Left

Compositional Sketches for the Virgin Adoring the Christ Child, with and without the Infant St. John the Baptist; Diagram of a Perspectival Projection (recto); Slight Doodles (verso)

Studies for Hercules Holding a Club Seen in Frontal View, Male Nude Unsheathing a Sword, and the Movements of Water (Recto); Study for Hercules Holding a Club Seen in Rear View (Verso)

Carmen Bambach Department of Drawings and Prints, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2002

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) is one of the most intriguing personalities in the history of Western art. Trained in Florence as a painter and sculptor in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488), Leonardo is also celebrated for his scientific contributions. His curiosity and insatiable hunger for knowledge never left him. He was constantly observing, experimenting, and inventing, and drawing was, for him, a tool for recording his investigation of nature. Although completed works by Leonardo are few, he left a large body of drawings (almost 2,500) that record his ideas, most still gathered into notebooks. He was principally active in Florence (1472–ca. 1482, 1500–1508) and Milan (ca. 1482–99, 1508–13), but spent the last years of his life in Rome (1513–16) and France (1516/17–1519), where he died. His genius as an artist and inventor continues to inspire artists and scientists alike centuries after his death.

Drawings Outside of Italy, Leonardo’s work can be studied most readily in drawings. He recorded his constant flow of ideas for paintings on paper. In his Studies for the Nativity ( 17.142.1 ), he studied different poses and gestures of the mother and her infant , probably in preparation for the main panel in his famous altarpiece known as the Virgin of the Rocks (Musée du Louvre, Paris). Similarly, in a sheet of designs for a stage setting ( 17.142.2 ), prepared for a staging of a masque (or musical comedy) in Milan in 1496, he made notes on the actors’ positions on stage alongside his sketches, translating images and ideas from his imagination onto paper. Leonardo also drew what he observed from the world around him, including human anatomy , animal and plant life, the motion of water, and the flight of birds. He also investigated the mechanisms of machines used in his day, inventing many devices like a modern-day engineer. His drawing techniques range from rather rapid pen sketches, in The   Head of a Man in Profile Facing to The Left ( 10.45.1) , to carefully finished drawings in red and black chalks, as in The   Head of the Virgin ( 51.90 ). These works also demonstrate his fascination with physiognomy, and contrasts between youth and old age, beauty and ugliness.

The Last Supper (ca. 1492/94–1498) Leonardo’s Last Supper , on the end wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, is one of the most renowned paintings of the High Renaissance. Recently restored, The Last Supper had already begun to flake during the artist’s lifetime due to his failed attempt to paint on the walls in layers (not unlike the technique of tempera on panel), rather than in a true fresco technique . Even in its current state, it is a masterpiece of dramatic narrative and subtle pictorial illusionism.

Leonardo chose to capture the moment just after Christ tells his apostles that one of them will betray him, and at the institution of the Eucharist. The effect of his statement causes a visible response, in the form of a wave of emotion among the apostles. These reactions are quite specific to each apostle, expressing what Leonardo called the “motions of the mind.” Despite the dramatic reaction of the apostles, Leonardo imposes a sense of order on the scene. Christ’s head is at the center of the composition, framed by a halo-like architectural opening. His head is also the vanishing point toward which all lines of the perspectival projection of the architectural setting converge. The apostles are arranged around him in four groups of three united by their posture and gesture. Judas, who was traditionally placed on the opposite side of the table, is here set apart from the other apostles by his shadowed face.

Mona Lisa (ca. 1503–6 and later) Leonardo may also be credited with the most famous portrait of all time, that of Lisa, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, and known as the Mona Lisa (Musée du Louvre, Paris). An aura of mystery surrounds this painting, which is veiled in a soft light, creating an atmosphere of enchantment. There are no hard lines or contours here (a technique of painting known as sfumato— fumo in Italian means “smoke”), only seamless transitions between light and dark. Perhaps the most striking feature of the painting is the sitter’s ambiguous half smile. She looks directly at the viewer, but her arms, torso, and head each twist subtly in a different direction, conveying an arrested sense of movement. Leonardo explores the possibilities of oil paint in the soft folds of the drapery, texture of skin, and contrasting light and dark (chiaroscuro). The deeply receding background, with its winding rivers and rock formations, is an example of Leonardo’s personal view of the natural world: one in which everything is liquid, in flux, and filled with movement and energy.

Bambach, Carmen. “Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm (October 2002)

Further Reading

Bambach, Carmen C., ed. Leonardo da Vinci, Master Draftsman . Exhibition catalogue.. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.

Additional Essays by Carmen Bambach

• Bambach, Carmen. “ Anatomy in the Renaissance .” (October 2002)
• Bambach, Carmen. “ Renaissance Drawings: Material and Function .” (October 2002)

Related Essays

• Anatomy in the Renaissance
• Architecture in Renaissance Italy
• Portraiture in Renaissance and Baroque Europe
• The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity
• Renaissance Drawings: Material and Function
• Antonello da Messina (ca. 1430–1479)
• Arms and Armor in Renaissance Europe
• The Crucifixion and Passion of Christ in Italian Painting
• Drawing in the Middle Ages
• Dutch and Flemish Artists in Rome, 1500–1600
• Early Netherlandish Painting
• Filippino Lippi (ca. 1457–1504)
• Northern Italian Renaissance Painting
• The Papacy and the Vatican Palace
• Patronage at the Later Valois Courts (1461–1589)
• Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641): Paintings
• Rembrandt (1606–1669): Paintings
• Sixteenth-Century Painting in Emilia-Romagna
• Sixteenth-Century Painting in Lombardy
• Sixteenth-Century Painting in Venice and the Veneto
• Unfinished Works in European Art, ca. 1500–1900
• Venetian Color and Florentine Design

List of Rulers

• List of Rulers of Europe
• Central Europe (including Germany), 1400–1600 A.D.
• Florence and Central Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
• France, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Rome and Southern Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Venice and Northern Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
• 15th Century A.D.
• Biblical Scene
• Central Italy
• High Renaissance
• The Last Supper
• Madonna and Child
• New Testament
• Religious Art
• Renaissance Art
• Scientific Instrument
• Virgin Mary
• Wall Painting

Artist or Maker

• Boltraffio, Giovanni Antonio
• Parmigianino

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The Enigmatic Mona Lisa: Unraveling Leonardo's Masterpiece

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The Mysterious Charm of Mona Lisa's Expression

Decoding the Smile: A Psychoanalytic Perspective

The earthly connection: observations on the mona lisa landscape, reflections on leonardo's artistry, conclusion: the timeless allure of mona lisa.

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Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa Painting Analysis

Mona lisa analysis: essay introduction, mona lisa painting analysis: description, mona lisa analysis: essay conclusion.

Name of the painting: Mona Lisa

Name of the artist: Leonardo da Vinci

Dates created: 1504-1506

Mona Lisa is one of the most prominent and recognizable paintings in the world and is considered the greatest masterpiece of its author, Leonardo da Vinci. Created in 1503, the painting has been discussed for centuries by artists, academics, medics, and the general public (Mehra & Campbell, 2018). A vast amount of the painting’s interpretations already exist, and some are still being proposed nowadays. However, this paper mostly aims to explore the central theme, subject, and message of the Mona Lisa .

Da Vinci’s masterpiece was written during the Renaissance, and thus, was strongly influenced by the ideas of that period. The philosophy of the Renaissance placed a human in the center of the world; that is why portraits were so popular with Italian masters of the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Leonardo was among the first artists to capture a person sitting in front of the fictional landscape. Even though Mona Lisa is reminiscent of Madonna, it is still clear that the painter tried to depict an ordinary person. For creating this painting, Leonardo used a technique called “sfumato.” This term refers to the technique of oil painting that allows achieving a soft transition from one color to another. The great combination of the woman and the landscape in Mona Lisa is due to this technique (Da Vinci, n.d.). Therefore, this work by Leonardo may be considered not as a classical portrait, and this is what makes it unique among other paintings of a similar genre.

Mona Lisa has an outstanding impact on various types of Western art, but there were some things that shaped Leonardo’s work as well. As it was already mentioned, the Renaissance period had a strong effect on Leonardo’s works. The painter portrayed a real woman who was not consistent with medieval Christian philosophy. Leonardo is also famous for creating paintings on religious themes, but Mona Lisa does not depict another Madonna. The painting shows a typical woman of Leonardo’s age which confirms his commitment to the humanistic vision of the world. Therefore, it is impossible to omit the influence of this woman on Leonardo’s painting. Most critics and researchers agree that Mona Lisa portrays an Italian woman Lisa Gherardini. She was the wife of a rich merchant who ordered her portrait from Leonardo. This happened soon after Lisa gave birth to a child (Kemp & Pallanti, 2017). This might partly explain why Leonardo depicted the woman smiling.

I have always appreciated Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, but after careful examination, I discovered a new meaning in it. Being aware of the story behind the painting helps to understand it better and makes it more interesting to observe. When you know which person is portrayed in the painting, it is possible to enter his or her life for some time and experience the feelings that he or she had. It is also essential to consider the social and philosophical contest in which the painting was written. It might be hard to realize the significance of the Mona Lisa for the history of art if you do not know that it was one of the first portraits that depicted a real person. Undoubtedly, one can enjoy a painting even if one is not aware of its background. However, once you have become familiar with the painting’s story, you may start to value the piece of art even more.

This paper did not attempt to discover or propose new interpretations of the Mona Lisa . I tried to focus on the main factors that influenced Leonardo’s masterpiece as well as study the most crucial features of the painting. Now that I have become aware of the fact that Leonardo was one of the first Renaissance masters to combine a regular person with the landscape, I can appreciate the painting not only from the artistic perspective but also from the historical.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa .

Kemp, M., & Pallanti, G. (2017). Mona Lisa: The people and the painting . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Mehra, M. R., & Campbell, H.R. (2018). The Mona Lisa decrypted: Allure of an Imperfect Reality. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 93 (9), 1325-1327.

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Home — Essay Samples — Arts & Culture — Mona Lisa — Analysis of Elements and Principles of Art Used in ‘Mona Lisa’

Analysis of Elements and Principles of Art Used in 'Mona Lisa'

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Published: Jun 12, 2023

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Elements and Principles of This Masterpiece

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The Mona Lisa: “A Beauty Wrought Out From Within”

“The presence that rose thus so strangely beside the waters, is expressive of what in the ways of a thousand years men had come to desire. Hers is the head upon which all “the ends of the world are come,” and the eyelids are a little weary. It is a beauty wrought out from within upon the flesh, the deposit, little cell by cell, of strange thoughts and fantastic reveries and exquisite passions. Set it for a moment beside one of those white Greek goddesses or beautiful women of antiquity, and how would they be troubled by this beauty, into which the soul with all its maladies has passed! All the thoughts and experience of the world have etched and moulded there, in that which they have of power to refine and make expressive the outward form, the animalism of Greece, the lust of Rome, the mysticism of the middle age with its spiritual ambition and imaginative loves, the return of the Pagan world, the sins of the Borgias. She is older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her; and trafficked for strange webs with Eastern merchants: and, as Leda, was the mother of Helen of Troy, and, as Saint Anne, the mother of Mary; and all this has been to her but as the sound of lyres and flutes, and lives only in the delicacy with which it has moulded the changing lineaments, and tinged the eyelids and the hands. The fancy of a perpetual life, sweeping together ten thousand experiences, is an old one; and modern philosophy has conceived the idea of humanity as wrought upon by, and summing up in itself all modes of thought and life. Certainly Lady Lisa might stand as the embodiment of the old fancy, the symbol of the modern idea.”

From The Renaissance (London, 1893). Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1980, pp. 98-99.

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One comment.

I have never seen what others describe as beauty in the Mona Lisa. I only regret that her inner beauty does not shine through to me. Perhaps it would, as in the case of St. Teresa of Calcutta, whose countenance is truly a reflection of her inner beauty that refuses to be trapped in her body.

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Essay on Mona Lisa

Students are often asked to write an essay on Mona Lisa in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Mona Lisa

The mona lisa’s mystery.

The Mona Lisa is a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. It shows a woman with a soft smile. People are curious about her smile. They also wonder who she is. Some think she is Lisa Gherardini, a merchant’s wife.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Masterpiece

Leonardo took many years to paint the Mona Lisa. He was very careful with details. The painting is small, but it is very valuable. It is kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The Painting’s Fame

The Mona Lisa is well-known around the world. Many people visit the Louvre just to see it. The painting became even more famous when it was stolen in 1911. It was found and returned two years later.

250 Words Essay on Mona Lisa

Who is mona lisa.

The Mona Lisa is a world-famous painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a picture of a woman with a mysterious smile. This painting is special because many people are curious about who she was and why she is smiling. The woman in the painting is thought to be Lisa Gherardini, a lady from Florence, Italy.

Where Can You See Her?

The mystery of her smile.

One of the reasons the Mona Lisa is so famous is because of her smile. It looks like it changes when you look at it from different angles. Some people think she is happy, while others think she might be sad. This mystery is part of what makes the painting interesting.

Why Is She Famous?

Besides her smile, the Mona Lisa is famous because Leonardo da Vinci was a very skilled painter. He used techniques that made her look real, like the way he painted her eyes and the light on her face. Also, the painting has been stolen in the past, which made it even more famous.

The Mona Lisa is not just a painting; it is a piece of history that has fascinated people for over 500 years. Its simplicity and mystery make it a masterpiece that people of all ages can appreciate.

500 Words Essay on Mona Lisa

Introduction to mona lisa.

The Mona Lisa is a world-famous painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is often called the best-known, the most visited, and the most written about piece of art in the world. The painting shows a woman sitting with her hands folded, and she has a gentle smile on her face. The Mona Lisa is a treasure that has been admired for many years and is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

One of the most interesting things about the Mona Lisa is her smile. People often talk about how her smile seems to change when you look at it from different angles. Sometimes, it looks like she is smiling, and other times, it does not. This effect is because of Leonardo’s skillful painting technique. He was able to create this mysterious effect with his brushstrokes and the way he used light and shadow. This smile has made many people curious and has become a big reason why so many people love this painting.

The Woman in the Painting

Leonardo da vinci’s technique.

Leonardo da Vinci was not just a painter; he was also a scientist and an inventor. He used his knowledge of the world to make his paintings look real. In the Mona Lisa, he used a technique called ‘sfumato’, which means ‘gone up in smoke’ in Italian. This technique makes the edges look soft and helps to create a more lifelike image. Leonardo’s skill in painting and his use of this technique make the Mona Lisa a very special artwork.

The Painting’s Journey

The Mona Lisa has had a long history. After Leonardo finished it, the painting was in the hands of many different people and even a king of France. It was stolen from the Louvre Museum in 1911 but was found and returned two years later. The painting has also been attacked and damaged, but it has been carefully fixed each time. Now, it is protected by bulletproof glass to keep it safe.

Why People Love the Mona Lisa

People from all over the world come to see the Mona Lisa. They might love it because of its mystery, the story behind it, or just because it is so famous. The painting is a piece of history and shows Leonardo da Vinci’s amazing talent. It is a symbol of how art can last for a very long time and still be important to many people.

The Mona Lisa is more than just a painting; it is a piece of human history that tells a story of art, mystery, and beauty. It shows Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible skill and reminds us why he is still known as one of the greatest artists ever. The Mona Lisa’s gentle smile will continue to fascinate and inspire people for many years to come.

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The feminist inspiration of Mona Lisa

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the death of the Italian genius, Leonardo da Vinci, who died on 02 May 1519. On this occasion, UNESCO highlights some of the comments concerning the origins of one of the most famous paintings in history: Was Mona Lisa painted in a feminist spirit?

The thesis of the American art lover William Varvel highlights the links between feminism and the painting. According to his findings, Mona Lisa would represent a figure in the fight for gender equality. Why? William Varvel insists on "the theological rights of women" claimed through the vision of the famous painting from the Renaissance Period. These rights are linked to the status of priests, which women do not have access to. Therefore, the painting representing Mona Lisa would have for true desiderata the possibility for the women to have access to the priesthood. William Varvel assures that "Mona Lisa is a kind of declaration for the rights of women".

To support his argument, the author of The Lady Speaks: Uncovering the Secrets of the Mona Lisa explains how Leonardo hid clues in the painting: in total, not less than "40 symbols, taken from the 21 verses of the chapter 14 of the Book of the Prophet Zechariah" in the painting.

Therefore, there is a link between religion, the painting of the Italian master and his feminist commitment. It is precisely this link that William Varvel wishes to highlight in order to allow a reflection on the subject. A new definition of the place of Mona Lisa in the artworks from the Renaissance is necessary to apprehend the political and feminist scope of this masterpiece.

More on this subject

Other recent news

The Mona Lisa Foundation

Contributors.

PR. MANUEL MARZAL ÁLVARO

Restorer of museum properties, President of the ACRACV and member of the Institute for Conservation

Restorer of the San Pio V Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia (España). He graduated from the San Carlos Faculty of Fine Arts in Valencia in 1976. He has received scholarships from different international Restoration Departments: National Gallery in London, Tate Gallery in London, The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, Hamilton Kerr Institute of the University of Cambridge, The Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Modern Gallery in Edinburgh, Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and others in Florence, Geneva and New York.

During his professional life as a Restaurateur, he has been responsible for various Official Departments of Valencia, such as the Corpus Christi Seminary College or the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos. He was appointed Head of the Conservation and Restoration Service of Museum Assets of the Department of Culture, Education and Sports. He has served as Director of the Restoration Technical Center, dependent on the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia. He is founder and President of the Association of Art Conservators and Restorers of the Valencian Community (ACRACV) and founder of the Spanish group of the international Institute for Conservation (Valencia GE-IIC). As a Senior Technician, he was in charge of the Department of Culture for the development and implementation of the Institute for the Restoration of Cultural Assets of the Valencian Community and was responsible for the design and installation of the Valencian Printing Museum.

He has been a collaborator of the Institute of Conservation and Restoration of Madrid (ICROA), member of the Commission for the study and development of the “Llei del Patrimoni Cultural Valencià” and of the Commission for the study of the INCUAL project of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, during the years 2003-2004.

His printed publications have focused mainly on the Restored Works in the Restoration Technical Center and the Restoration Department of the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia, which enhanced the restoration in an extraordinary way. Likewise, through programs that defined the enrichment of the different collections, with editions such as: “Recovering our Heritage I and II”, “Restoration Notebooks I”, “We Recover Heritage No. 1-2-3-4”.

In 1998, he participated in the restoration of the Altarpiece of the Main Altar of the Cathedral of Valencia, a work commissioned by Pope Alexander VI when he was Bishop of Valencia. His twelve panels were painted by two disciples of Leonardo da Vinci: Fernando de los Llanos and Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina, who assisted him in his workshop during the time when Leonardo painted the portraits of Mona Lisa and the Battle of Anghiari.

Pr. JOHN F. ASMUS

Research Physicist, Emeritus Professor, University of California, San Diego

Since the early 1970s, Professor John Asmus has been an authoritative Research Physicist at the Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences, at the University of California, San Diego.

Prof. Asmus and his team developed specialized equipment to assist the city of Venice, Italy, in cleaning and restoring many of its invaluable marble statues. Through laser holography, and NDT (Non Destructive Testing), holographic interferograms could reveal hidden defects in artwork. New laser crystal equipment, employing a Nd:YAG, rather than a ruby, was developed and shipped to Venice with excellent results.

Based on some of this work, Prof. Asmus was approached to try and determine if any remains existed of Leonardo’s ‘ Battle of Anghiari ’ fresco under Vasari’s subsequent murals, in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. In 1976, he and his team designed, built and tested a 1 MHz ultrasonic digital imaging system with an automated stepping-motor-controlled transducer scanner, and the following year ultrasonically mapped the masonry strata beneath the Vasari paintings. After having located a 2m x 5m plane ‘island’, 7mm beneath the surface of the East wall, the project was turned over to a local ‘art diagnostician’. Coincidentally, in 1974, H. Travers Newton and John R. Spencer of the Williamstown Regional Art Conservation Laboratory, MA, and Duke University, NC, also began a search in the ‘ Salone dei 500 ’ for relics of the ‘ Battle of Anghiari ’. Subsequent work by others has also been performed, but if anything remains of Leonardo’s extraordinary work, it is out of sight for the present. However, research on this subject continues to make headlines.

Armed with decades of experience in the science of art diagnostics, Prof. Asmus was commissioned to ‘clarify’ the Louvre ‘ Mona Lisa ’, to see what it could look like without cracks and the brown ‘smoggy atmosphere’. One of the discoveries made as a result of this test from the mid-1980s was that Leonardo had originally painted the female image with a necklace, and had subsequently painted it over. Ten years after first questioning the validity of the discovery, the Louvre’s own new X-rays confirmed the existence of the necklace. This is mentioned to reiterate the authority and professionalism of Prof. Asmus.

A few years later, Prof. Asmus performed an independent investigation of the ‘ Isleworth Mona Lisa ’, as the ‘ Earlier Version ’ was known at that time, and that is how the painting is referred to in his reports, which are presented in the foundation’s book.

Art Historian

Mr. Boudin de l’Arche was born on may 2nd 1945. Raised in Italy, he came back to his native country, France, to study law, political science and economics. Later he taught economics at “Sup de Co Marseille” (a French business school). He then undertook a professional in real estate in both France and the United States.

His interests then pushed him to explore two new avenues. First, theoretical physics on which he published three essays ( Relativity dead end , 2009; A divine game of dice , 2010; and Up to the border of space and time , 2015). Second, he started exploring secrets and myths of history about which he published three other essays: In search of the Odyssey (2005); In search of Atlantis ( 2012 ); and, most recently, In search of monna Lisa (2017). He is currently working on The Gioconda revealed a follow-up to the previous to his most recent work.

Dolores García Ruiz is a writer and researcher. She was born in Melilla (Spain) and lives in Valencia. She studied Law and is professionally dedicated to the Administration of Justice. She has given master classes in Literature at the Jaume I University of Castellón and is the author of several novels and essays. In 2012 she is part of the founding team of the Latin American cultural magazine Astrolabium .

In 2002, her first novel, The Secret of Monna Lisa , was a semifinalist for the 2002 “Primavera” Awards and became an international best-seller. In 2015, she rescued historical episodes in North Africa that influenced World War II from oblivion with The Sugar Queen . In 2016 she won the “Letras del Mediterráneo” award with the novel The Penelope’s rebellion .

In 2011 she published her first essay, The keys of Mona Lisa , which in 2012 was incorporated into the Louvre museum’s library for researchers. In 2017, with La Gioconda: a portrait in relief, she reveals that the most famous portrait in the world is three-dimensional. In 2018 she published the essay Leonardo, in relief: the perfection of the soul through painting . In 2020 she presents and publishes her research work Valencia and her silk art in La Gioconda at the Faculty of Geography and History of the University of Valencia. In 2021 she published the essay The Isleworth Mona Lisa: the answer to the riddle of the Mona Lisa.

Her research work on Leonardo da Vinci since 1999 has led her to be named “Melillense of the Year” in 2019 and considered one of the most knowledgeable connoisseurs of the brilliant Florentine. Currently, she chairs the Hispanomundial Union of Writers (UHE) in the Valencian Community and continues her career as a writer, prelector and literary proofreader.

Professor Halter (Daniels Faculty of Architecture Landscape & Design, University of Toronto Academic, Architect, Art Historian) has been teaching and practicing architecture since the early 1990’s, having been involved with Italian Renaissance studies, earning degrees from the University of Manitoba (History ’88), University of Toronto (Architecture ’93), and as a Graduate Fellow with Syracuse University in Florence, Italy (Architecture History and Design ’95).

Halter has spent several years researching and teaching in Florence, Italy, where he has taught as an adjunct professor with the University of British Columbia and University of Toronto, coordinating and teaching courses to both undergraduate and graduate students, focusing on the history of architecture and art, and the emergence of the Florentine city-state of the 13th and 14th centuries. Through early studies in Classics, Roman and later history of the Byzantine Empire with Professor John Wortley (University of Manitoba), Halter has pursued research in political and social histories as well as art and cultural histories that culminated during his graduate Fellowship with Syracuse University, achieving scholarship and honour awards with both University of Toronto, and Syracuse University.

As protégé and later co-instructor with the preeminent Leon Batista Alberti scholar Hans-Karl Lücke (University of Toronto) in Florence (1991,1996-1998), Halter began a decades long study on the program of building patronage of 14th and 15th century Florence and has developed an unique perspective that began with the classical language of architecture of Renaissance Florence and Rome, synthesizing knowledge of building design and tectonics of construction methodologies up to the 20th century science of systems architecture.

Simultaneous to a dedicated study of the architecture of Renaissance Florence, Halter developed a keen interest in early Renaissance art history and the then, newly emerging production of art as a key element in the display of wealth, patronage, commercial persuasion and political powerbrokering that characterized quattrocento Florence.

Concurrent with Renaissance studies and teaching appointments, Halter has emerged as a leading expert in the contemporary field of modular architecture, a leading edge niche area within his profession that focuses on the science of building, efficiencies of materials science, economics of building systems, and the advancement of prefabricated construction methods. Along with his passion for the life and practice of Leonardo da Vinci, Halter has focused his study of Leonardo Da Vinci as ‘Scientist’, who crafted a sublime language of communication, illustration and painting, noting his achievements as perhaps the inventor of the modern scientific method of observation, experimentation and innovation in his published writing.

Graduate Professor, Fielding Graduate University

Professor Isbouts is a European-born art historian known for his best-selling publications on art and biblical archaeology, published by National Geographic. Born in Holland in 1954, he studied ancient Greek and Latin before continuing his graduate studies in 16th century Italian art at Leiden University. He emigrated to the United States in 1979 to pursue his doctoral research at Columbia University in New York.

He is the author of numerous books, articles and documentaries on art and archaeology, including the 1993 publication of The Renaissance of Florence, which was subsequently translated in seven languages, including Japanese. In 2007, National Geographic Society published his book The Biblical World, an in-depth survey of the art, literature and cultural milieu of the Near East during the genesis of biblical narratives. The book rapidly became an international bestseller, and has since been followed by two other National Geographic books written by Dr. Isbouts.

In 2013, Dr. Isbouts and Dr. Christopher Heath Brown co-authored a book entitled “The Mona Lisa Myth,” aimed at establishing a chronology of both the Early Version and the Louvre version of the Mona Lisa as autograph works by Leonardo, within the context of Leonardo’s late oeuvre and early Cinquecento art. The book is currently scheduled for publication in December, 2013.

Dr. Isbouts is graduate professor in several PhD programs at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA (www.fielding.edu). His website is www.jpisbouts.org .

Art conservationist and historian

Professor Lorusso is a former full Professor of the University of Bologna.

He is Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences; Emeritus Professor of the Cultural Heritage Institute of Zhejiang University, China; former Visiting Professor of the Academy of Social Science of Zhejiang University, China; Visiting Professor of the Faculty of Arts, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia; former Vice-president and now, a Councilor of the Società Italiana per il Progresso delle Scienze (SIPS-established in 1839). Direttore Generale of the Accademia della Cultura Enogastronomica.

His biography appears in the 2016 Marquis Edition of Who’s Who in the World. He is the founder and director of two book series relating to the specific issues pertaining to the sector of cultural and environmental heritage. He is the author of over 430 publications in national and international journals and of 22 volumes and monographs covering commodity science, cultural heritage and environment. In 1997, he founded the Diagnostic Laboratory for Cultural Heritage at the Ravenna Campus of the University of Bologna and remained head of the Laboratory for eighteen years. His scientific work deals mainly with the study of the “system-artifact-environment-biota” and diagnostic, analytical, technical and economic evaluation within the context of the protection and valorization of cultural and environmental heritage.

Head of the School of Art at Aberystwyth University’s School of Art and Keeper of the School of Art Museum

Robert Meyrick is Head of the School of Art at Aberystwyth University’s School of Art and Keeper of the School of Art Museum. He trained in fine art and art history and now writes on 20th-century British art, the history of printmaking, and the visual culture of Wales. Through building and working with collections and archives at Aberystwyth, often working closely with the artists themselves or their heirs, his research involves original investigation and improved insights into the work of lesser known British artists and collectors. In 2001 he was invited to become an Honorary Fellow of the in ‘recognition of his services to the art of printmaking in Britain’. Robert’s research is disseminated though the publication of books, catalogues raisonné and articles, as well as curated exhibitions.

Robert has staged exhibitions for museums and galleries throughout the UK. His retrospective exhibition of paintings by the Welsh artist Christopher Williams was shown at the National Library of Wales throughout this Summer and his exhibition of prints by Sydney Lee RA can be seen at the Royal Academy of Arts in London next Spring. In addition to his numerous monographs, he has regularly contributed chapters for books, journals and catalogues. He has toured exhibitions of paintings by Hugh Blaker and published widely on Blaker’s activities as artist, advisor and collector, most notably his 2004 article for the Oxford University Press Journal of the History of Collections – ‘Hugh Blaker: Doing his Bit for the Moderns’.

Forensic Imaging Specialist

Joe Mullins is one of the world’s foremost Forensic Imaging Specialists, and is based in Washington D.C. Mr. Mullins has a degree in Fine Art from the Savannah College of Art & Design, and a degree in Fine Art and Graphic Design from James Madison University. He has received extensive training in this specialization, including in Advanced Facial Reconstruction at the University of Oklahoma, in Digital Facial Reconstruction at the University of Dundee, Scotland, and in Forensic Facial Imaging at the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Quantico, VA. Mr. Mullins currently does consulting work for the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies; and he teaches Facial Reconstruction at the New York Academy of Art; at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, and at the Art League., Alexandria, VA. He is the author of the article on ‘Age Progression and Regression’, in the newly published book ‘Craniofacial Identification’.

Full Professor, St.Petersburg State Electrotechnical University

Professor Parfenov was born in St.Petersburg on August 12, 1962. He graduated from Peter The Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (ex M.I.Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute) in 1985. He received his PhD degree in 2002 (speciality – “Quantum electronics”) and academic degree Doctor of Technical Science (habil. of PhD) in 2019 (speciality – “Optics”). In 1985-2007 he worked at the Research Center “S.I.Vavilov State Optical Institute” (SOI), where he was involved in research and development of solid-state lasers for various applications (including holography and interferometry). His knowledge and experience cover many areas of modern laser physics and optics including phase conjugation, non-linear optics, wavefront sensing, interferometry and laser material processing. While he worked at the SOI, he also taught students in his role as part-time Associate Professor at several state universities in St.Petersburg. In 2008 he was appointed to the permanent position of Associate Professor at St.Petersburg Electrotechnical University, and starting from October, 2019 he became Full Professor of the same university.

For the past 16 years his research work was focused on the use of laser and opto-electronic techniques in Cultural Heritage preservation. He pioneered the practical use of laser cleaning technology in artworks conservation in St.Petersburg, where he has had numerous collaborative works with leading museums including The Hermitage museum, The State Russian museum, The museum-preserve “Tsarskoye Selo”, The museum-preserve “Peterhof” and The St.Petersburg State museum of Urban Sculpture. He has also collaborated with The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in the use of 3D laser scanning for documentation and replication of artworks. He was the first to introduce the non-contact replication of out-door monuments in Russia based on combined use of 3D laser scanning and CNC milling. In 2010 he established the project on replication of marble sculpture “Primavera” (of XVIII century, Italy) at the museum-preserve “Tsarskoye Selo”. It was the first case study of non-contact replication of stone sculptures in Russia.

For last 10 years fields of expertise Prof. Parfenov concerned with CH preservation have expanded and now include also analysis of paintings. In the framework of collaboration with St.Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts he studies tempera and oil paintings using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, he collaborates with Prof. John Asmus with the University of California using image processing techniques for analysis of oil paintings. These studies included analyses of painting “Earlier Mona Lisa” and other masterpieces created by Leonardo as well as also analysis of self-portraits by Rembrandt.

Prof. Parfenov has been involved in numerous conferences and seminars since 1985, both in Russia and abroad. He organized and co-chaired several conferences and workshops such as: “Light for Artworks conservation” (2006, 2010 and 2012, St.Petersburg) and “Laser Cleaning and Artworks Conservation” (2007 and 2013, St.Petersburg). In 2005-2006 he was a member of the Management Committee of the European Union COST Action G7 “Artwork Conservation by Laser”. In 2014 he became the member of the Permanent Scientific Committee of LACONA (Lasers for Artwork Conservation). He is author of over 330 publications including numerous scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and 16 books.

DR. MARÍA GÓMEZ RODRIGO

Lecturer of Art History, University of Valencia, Spain. Art restorer-researcher and painter-sculptor

Her city: Zaragoza, Spain. She began her studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Luis, Zaragoza. She worked as a graphic designer/draughtsman.

In 1990, she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Faculty of San Carlos, Valencia, specializing in the Conservation-Restoration of Works of Art. She was awarded a scholarship by the Regional Ministry of Culture for a Doctorate degree in 1990, having obtained the highest grades in her specialty.

She has taught Art History at the University of Valencia, and in 1993, she established the Art Laboratory at the Faculty of Geography and History of the same university, teaching Artistic Techniques and Scientific Research of Works of Art. She has been a lecturer in Master’s programs related to research in artistic heritage until her retirement in 2021. Currently, she gives master classes at the Postgraduate level.

She conducts expert reports on heritage; notably: “The Plundering of the Royal Monastery of Sijena in the Civil War of 1936”, revealing the most significant art theft in Spain. This expert report was crucial in court. It has national and international interest.

Her specialty in the recovery of severely burned paintings was the subject of her Doctoral Thesis. Considered an international expert in this field, as reflected in her books and scientific publications, the University of Valencia offered her collaboration to the French Ministry during the Notre Dame fire.

Recent awards: Honorary Academician (AICTEH), International Academy of Science, Technology, Education, and Humanities (2022); Recognition by the Professional Association of Doctors of the Valencian Community (2023) for the Recovery of Burned Valencian Heritage. She is a member of both institutions. She has been the Technical Manager of the Movable Heritage of the Valencia Cathedral since 1996.

Secretary of the Mona Lisa Association Spain, under the Mona Lisa Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland. Her passion: An expressionist painter/sculptor with numerous institutional exhibitions. Her latest work: a copy of the Mona Lisa, delving into Leonardo’s exquisite technique.

ING. ALFONSO RUBINO

Alfonso Rubino was born in Mesagne (Brindisi) January 7, 1946. He lived 18 years in Lecce. Since 1965, he lives in Padova. He graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Padua, and has worked in public and private institutions dealing with water projects and major infrastructure.

Passionate about graphology, he has discovered a mathematical paradigm that explains the process of pattern recognition and writing. These studies resulted in the physical-mathematical concept of energy-harmonic geometric shapes. The discovery that shape is in fact a new kind of energy independent of space-time has led to further research in the field of geometry applied to architecture and works of art.

He has come to the conclusion that many ancient monuments and many works of art, when brought to the rules of geometry, are iconograms that resonate with harmonic energy. In 2008 he published a book with Roberto Mosca entitled “The Triple Cinta”, where he developed, in terms of ancient sacred geometry, the study of certain symbols, artifacts and architecture of the city of Osimo (Ancona).

The geometry of the beauty in the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci is the development and application of the theory of harmonic Vitruvian man to his works.

Alfonso Rubino has held numerous conferences and seminars since 1995 both in Italy and abroad (France, Spain, Georgia). In 2006 he was invited by the Italian Embassy in Tbilisi-Georgia at the local university to produce a report on the paleo-Christian Armenian church of the first centuries.

The author has studied and published, mostly on the internet, sacred geometrical patterns of many monuments and works of art. Alfonso Rubino –  [email protected] Assistant Alfonso Rubino for communications-Luca Solimeo –  [email protected]

Pr. ÁTILA SOARES DA COSTA FILHO

Archaeology and Heritage Expert, Designer and Professor in Art History

Professor Soares da Costa Filho is perhaps the only scholar in Latin America to have significantly researched the ‘Isleworth Mona Lisa‘ (by Leonardo da Vinci), and has written numerous articles on this subject, in many languages. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Átila Soares graduated from the Industrial Design program at the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-Rio). He then obtained postgraduate titles on History, Archaeology, Heritage, Philosophy, Sociology, Art History and Anthropology combined with his teaching in higher education, and its connection with research and production of text material.

His primary methodology aims to understand the whole process of the creation of societies based on anthropological issues that are eternal to the human condition. Among some analyses he has already performed on the authenticity of works of art in private collections, we can highlight those attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Pieter Bruegel, El Greco, Liotard and Goya.

Soares has also made findings as developed thoughts on the Shroud of Turin and its connections with some of Da Vinci works. Other theories by him regard the Leonardesque pattern of faces that has the Mona Lisa of Isleworth as a model, the secret behind Da Vinci’s inverse writing and the approach of this artist to the philosophy of Heraclitus of Ephesus. In addition, he has created an unprecedented theory about the Essenian-Gnostic inspirations in the person and work of the Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, as he developed and released an elucidating study about the contemporary-like design of pre-Columbian Art.

In 2013 he released ‘A Jovem Mona Lisa’, the first book to discuss this painting by an independent author, and it is unique for being not published in the English language. In 2016 he released his second book, ‘Leonardo and the Shroud’, and also participated as co-author in three more books. Some of the leading media that have already published signed, related stories and interviews granted by Átila Soares includes the ‘National Geographic’, ‘Microsoft’, the ‘Wikipedia’, ‘Yahoo!’, ‘Il Giorno’ (one of Italy’s newspapers leader) and the ‘Aleteia’ (the largest global Catholic news agency). In 2021 he conducts an experiment and reconstructs what would be the true face of Virgin Mary – a news story that goes around the world, turning into one of the most prominent topics on technology and/or Christianity subjects in 100 countries plus so far.

Soares is also part of the Scientific Committee in the ‘Fondazione Leonardo da Vinci’ (Milan) as in the ‘Comitato Nazionale per la Valorizzazione dei Beni Storici, Culturali e Ambientali’ (Rome). Currently, he is involved in the development of Artificial Intelligence technology directed at attribution functions for works of Art.

Albert Sauteur

Artiste Peintre

Albert Sauteur, born 1950 and living in Switzerland is a painter and is recently credited with the theory of binocular perspective.

Starting off as a teacher, he later devoted himself since 1990 entirely to painting and the study of vision related to painting and painters. During his observations, he soon realized that the perspective in art from the Renaissance till today does not properly reflect what someone is seeing exactly. He thus reinvented the science of perspective and first publicized his work at a conference on “Discoveries” in Paris in 2011.

Later that year at OMPI (World Organisation of Intellectual Property), Geneva he heard about The Earlier Mona Lisa which fascinated him greatly as he believed that Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the few if not unique artists that understood binocular perspective and reflected it his later work. The fact that there is a difference in the spacing of Mona Lisa’s eyes when comparing the earlier version with the Louvre version is not just a sign that one is not copied from the other, but the ten years difference in their executions reflects Leonardo’s evolving realization of the binocular perspective.

Professor Sauteur is currently refining his work using Leonardo’s two Mona Lisas as a core to his presentations. His work is growing in recognition. It was recently published in the Swiss Migros journal which has one of the largest circulations in the country and is currently the invited speaker for a number of conferences on the subject of vision and perspective.

For more information please visit his website  www.albertsauteur.ch

ALESSANDRO VEZZOSI

Director of the Museo Ideale Leonardo Da Vinci

Alessandro Vezzosi stands not only as one of the most influential living experts on Leonardo da Vinci, but arguably also the most credible current authority on the subject of Mona Lisa.

Though born in Florence in 1950, his family is originally from Vinci, in Tuscany, the birthplace of Leonardo, where he currently resides. From 1993 he has managed the Museo Ideale Leonardo Da Vinci, along with the nascent ‘ Garden of Leonardo and of Utopia ’.

Art critic, ‘Leonardist’, expert on interdisciplinary studies and creative museology, he is also the author of hundreds of exhibits, publications and conferences, in Italy and abroad (from the United States to Japan) on Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance, contemporary art and design. He recently organised and curated major exhibitions in the USA and Japan on the theme of Mona Lisa.

Amongst others, he was the first scholar from the Armand Hammer Centre for Leonardo Studies from the University of California in Los Angeles, directed by Carlo Pedretti; he taught at the University of Progetto in Reggio Emilia; and he is the honorary Professor at the Academy of Arts and Design of Florence.

He began as an artist from 1964 to 1971 winning more than 50 prizes in painting competitions. In the Seventies he was the founder of the Leonardisimi Archives and of ‘memory-instruments of the region’; he coordinated ‘ Art Chronicle ’ and he was the historical-artistic consultant of the Comune of Vinci; he collaborated on the publication on Vinci; the life and paintings of Leonardo; and modern art.

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The eternal enigma: Reimagining the Mona Lisa through modern eyes

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” has long held an unparalleled position in the annals of art history, her enigmatic smile and inscrutable gaze captivating audiences for centuries. Beyond her aesthetic appeal, the “Mona Lisa” epitomizes the enduring power and mystique of women.

In today’s dynamic art market, contemporary artists have reinterpreted this iconic figure, infusing her with new life and relevance. This is further materialized through the visions of three distinct, modern artists — Mr. Brainwash, Campbell La Pun, and R.T. Houben — whose reinterpretations of the “Mona Lisa” reveal their distinct artistic approaches, while providing insightful commentary on the lasting impact of women and the perpetual importance of art.

Mr. Brainwash: The Pop Art Revolution

Thierry Guetta, better known as Mr. Brainwash, brings a vibrant and eclectic perspective to the “Mona Lisa.” Renowned for his exuberant blend of pop culture and street art, Mr. Brainwash transforms the classical icon into a contemporary muse. His interpretations are a kaleidoscope of modernity, interweaving graffiti, celebrity imagery, and iconic symbols into the fabric of the “Mona Lisa.”

In Mr. Brainwash’s hands, the “Mona Lisa” transcends time, becoming a universal symbol of femininity and resilience. His work highlights the enduring power of women and cultural prowess ( not to mention humor), positioning the “Mona Lisa” as a dynamic, living presence in today’s cultural landscape. Through his reimagining, Mr. Brainwash bridges the past and present, demonstrating how classical art can resonate with modern audiences and affirming the continuous relevance of historical icons.

Campbell La Pun: The Intersection of Luxury and Iconography

Campbell La Pun, known for his luxurious pop art creations, offers a sophisticated reinterpretation of the “Mona Lisa.” His works often feature high-end brands and fashion elements, merging them with classical imagery to explore the intersection of art, luxury, and identity. In La Pun’s vision, the “Mona Lisa” is adorned with designer logos and contemporary fashion, transforming her into a symbol of modern sophistication and status.

La Pun’s reimagining delves into the commodification of art and the evolving perception of female power in society. His “Mona Lisa” is not merely a timeless icon but a contemporary figure navigating the worlds of fashion and luxury. Through this lens, La Pun underscores the allure and influence of modern women, highlighting their ability to redefine cultural narratives and assert their presence in diverse arenas. His work reaffirms the persistent relevance of the “Mona Lisa” and her capacity to symbolize the dynamic intersection of art and life.

R.T. Houben: The Digital Renaissance

R.T. Houben, an artist renowned for blending classical techniques with digital innovation, presents a striking reinterpretation of the “Mona Lisa.” Houben’s meticulous attention to detail and deep understanding of historical art forms are elevated through digital technology and currency—resulting in a visually compelling fusion of past and present. His “Mona Lisa” incorporates elements of glitch art and digital manipulation, creating a contemporary masterpiece that speaks to the transformative power of technology.

Houben’s reimagining explores the impact of the digital age on art and society, positioning the “Mona Lisa” as a symbol of resilience and adaptability. By integrating digital elements into the classical portrait, he reflects on the evolving nature of female power in a technological world. Houben’s work emphasizes the continuous relevance of the “Mona Lisa,” demonstrating how art can adapt to changing times while maintaining its core essence and significance.

The enduring legacy

The “Mona Lisa” remains a powerful testament to the relentless power and allure of women. Her presence in the modern art market, as reimagined by artists like Mr. Brainwash, Campbell La Pun, and R.T. Houben, highlights the enduring significance of art and its capacity to reflect and shape societal values. Each artist, through their unique vision, contributes to an ongoing dialogue about the role of women in art and society, ensuring that the “Mona Lisa” continues to inspire and challenge audiences across generations.

In a world where art serves as both a mirror and a beacon, the reimagined “Mona Lisa” stands as a testament to the timeless essence of femininity and the enduring impact of women. Through these contemporary interpretations, we are reminded of the lasting legacy of the “Mona Lisa” and the powerful role of art in capturing the complexities and nuances of human experience.

Ready to explore the visions of Mona Lisa in modernity? Visit DTR Modern Soho and follow dtrmodern.com for further information.

About the Author

The Villager

The Villager, founded in 1933, is an award winning weekly newspaper serving New York City’s West and East Villages, Soho, Noho, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Lower East Side.

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Book Lists for Young Lutherans: High Schoolers

Whether children are homeschooled or attend a public, private or Lutheran school, one great way to “train them in the way they should go” is to encourage them to read, and read with them, at home. While Bible and catechetical reading is crucial, reading books of many genres with your children is also beneficial. As you read alongside them, you can reflect on the material with them, helping them learn how to evaluate and what to love, whom to admire and what to condemn.

To aid you in this, Kate Deddens and Leah Bromen of Classical Consultants have generously shared their list of good reads for students of various age levels. Read below their recommendations for high schoolers. (You can also check out their lists for little children and older children ).

Note: Children mature at different rates and have different sensitivities, and certain families may find different sorts of content objectionable. Websites like Common Sense Media are helpful resources to ensure that the language and content of particular books are appropriate for your children.

Recommended Reading for High Schoolers

Church history, theology & apologetics.

• The Abolition of Man — C.S. Lewis
• The Apocrypha (CPH edition)
• The Bondage of the Will — Martin Luther
• The Book of Concord
• Born Again — Charles W. Colson
• Church History — Eusebius
• The City of God — Augustine
• Complete Works (Selections) — Josephus
• Confessions — Augustine
• The Consolation of Philosophy — Boethius
• Ecclesiastical History of the English People — Bede
• The Fire and the Staff — Klemet I. Preus
• The Four Loves — C.S. Lewis
• The Imitation of Christ — Thomas a Kempis
• Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis
• On the Incarnation — Athanasius
• Orthodoxy — G.K. Chesterton
• The Screwtape Letters — C.S. Lewis
• The Spirituality of the Cross — Gene Veith
• Summa Theologica (Selections) — Thomas Aquinas
• Through Gates of Splendor — Elisabeth Elliot
• The Weight of Glory — C.S. Lewis
• The Best Things in Life — Peter Kreeft
• Gorgias — Plato
• Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
• Meno — Plato
• Pensées — Blaise Pascal
• The Prince — Niccolo Machiavelli
• The Republic — Plato
• Rhetoric — Aristotle
• Rights of Man/Common Sense — Thomas Paine
• The Social Contract — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Two Treatises of Government — John Locke
• Utopia — Thomas More
• 1984 — George Orwell
• Animal Farm — George Orwell
• Beowulf — Anonymous
• Billy Budd, Bartleby, and Other Stories — Herman Melville
• Brave New World — Aldous Huxley
• The Brothers Karamazov — Fyodor Dostoevsky
• The Call of the Wild — Jack London
• The Chosen — Chaim Potok
• The Count of Monte Cristo — Alexandre Dumas
• Crime and Punishment — Fyodor Dostoevsky
• David Copperfield — Charles Dickens
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich — Leo Tolstoy
• Don Quixote — Miguel de Cervantes
• Emma — Jane Austen
• Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury
• Favorite Father Brown Stories — G. K. Chesterton
• Frankenstein — Mary Shelley
• Gilgamesh — Anonymous
• The Gulag Archipelago — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
• Gulliver’s Travels — Jonathan Swift
• Jane Eyre — Charlotte Bronte
• Kristin Lavransdatter — Sigrid Undset
• Les Misérables — Victor Hugo
• Lord Peter Wimsey series — Dorothy L. Sayers
• Moby Dick — Herman Melville
• My Name is Asher Lev — Chaim Potok
• The Nine Tailors — Dorothy L. Sayers
• The Old Man and the Sea — Ernest Hemingway
• A Passage to India — E.M. Forster
• The Pit and the Pendulum — Edgar Allan Poe
• Persuasion — Jane Austen
• Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
• Sense and Sensibility — Jane Austen
• Space Trilogy — C.S. Lewis
• Starship Troopers — Robert A. Heinlein
• Till We Have Faces — C.S. Lewis
• To Kill a Mockingbird — Harper Lee
• The Pilgrim’s Progress — John Bunyan
• The War of the Worlds — H.G. Wells
• The Aeneid — Virgil
• The Canterbury Tales (Selections) — Geoffrey Chaucer
• The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
• The Faerie Queene — Edmund Spenser
• The Iliad and The Odyssey — Homer
• The Metamorphoses (Selections) — Ovid
• Paradise Lost — John Milton
• Thirty Poems to Memorize (Before It’s Too Late) — David Kern
• Poets: Berry, Blake, Bradstreet, Browning, Byron, Carroll, Crashaw, Dickinson, Donne, Dunbar, Eliot, Frost, Herrick, Herbert, Hughes, Jonson, Keats, Kipling, Longfellow, Milton, Poe, Rosetti, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tennyson, Yeats, Whitman, Wilde, Wordsworth, etc.
• The Bacchae — Euripides
• Death of a Salesman — Arthur Miller
• The Oresteia — Aeschylus
• Shakespeare — as many as possible
• Theban Trilogy — Sophocles

Historical Fiction & History

• American Documents: Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, Constitution
• Winston Churchill, Selected Speeches
• Code of Hammurabi
• Code of Justinian
• Cry, the Beloved Country — Alan Paton
• Le Morte d’Arthur — Thomas Malory
• Democracy in America (Selections) — Alexis de Tocqueville
• The Discoverers — Daniel J. Boorstin
• Federalist Papers (Selections) — Alexander Hamilton et al.
• Histories (Selections) — Herodotus
• History of the Franks — Gregory of Tours
• History of Rome (Selections) — Livy
• Ivanhoe — Walter Scott
• The Law — Bastiat
• Abraham Lincoln, Selected Speeches
• Magna Carta
• The Mayflower Compact
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass —Frederick Douglass
• History of Plymouth Plantation — William Bradford
• Peloponnesian War (Selections) — Thucydides
• The Red Badge of Courage — Stephen Crane
• Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans (Selections) — Plutarch
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight — Anonymous
• The Song of Roland — Anonymous
• Two Lives of Charlemagne — Einhard and Notker the Stammerer
• Up from Slavery — Booker T. Washington

Mathematics & Science

• Elements — Euclid
• It’s a Numberful World — Eddie Woo
• How to Solve It — George Polya
• Socratic Logic —Peter Kreeft
• Saving Leonardo — Nancy Pearcey
• State of the Arts — Gene Veith
• The Annotated Mona Lisa — Carol Strickland
• The G ift of Music — Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson

Image: “Don Quixote and Sancho Panza at a Crossroads,” Wilhelm Marstrand, c. 1847.

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Why Baltimore is seeing more drug overdose deaths than any other American city

Christopher Booker Christopher Booker

Mike Fritz Mike Fritz

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-baltimore-is-seeing-more-drug-overdose-deaths-than-any-other-american-city

More than 100,000 Americans are dying from drug overdoses every year, largely from the synthetic opioid fentanyl. But in recent years, no city has been hit as hard as Baltimore when it comes to overdose deaths. Special Correspondent Chris Booker examines why addiction has become so deadly in a city that has seen a steady decline in its population. It's part of our series, America Addicted.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Geoff Bennett:

More than 100,000 Americans are dying from drug overdoses every year, largely from the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

But in recent years, no city has been hit as hard as Baltimore when it comes to overdose deaths.

Special correspondent Christopher Booker takes a look at why. It's part of our ongoing series America Addicted.

Donna Bruce, Founder, DBU Inc.:

You have my number, right?

Donna Bruce:

Christopher Booker:

In this West Baltimore neighborhood, everyone seems to know Donna Bruce.

You be careful out here. You got Narcan?

After years of battling drug addiction, Bruce is now in recovery, but she still remembers just how tough this life can be.

Because we got to give them some resources, so they can get to housing and stuff like that.

Today, she runs a nonprofit that provides support to families who have lost loved ones to overdose. And she helps those still struggling with addiction connect to social services and find treatment, a process that often starts with some basic questions.

Why are you here? How did you end up here? Like, what can we do to help you today, right? And those are the questions that stimulate relationships with people that be open and say, OK, listen, yes, I do, get high.

Put your hands on your eyes.

On the day we joined her, Bruce had come with her 7-year-old granddaughter, Cassidy.

I got a big surprise to show you.

She wanted her to see a new street sign named in honor of her son, Devon Wellington, Cassidy's father.

Devon Wellington's Way. Wow. Look at that.

It was here in the summer of 2021 that the 32-year-old died from a drug overdose.

I will never forget. I couldn't help my own son.

Mona Setherly, Mother:

OK, it's right up here.

Just a few miles away, Mona Setherly is also going back to where tragedy struck.

Mona Setherly:

He was funny and he always seemed happy.

Setherly's 43-year-old son, Bruce, was found dead from an overdose at this abandoned Baltimore row house in 2022. The last time she saw her son, he told her that he was headed to an addiction treatment program.

He left. I gave him a hug. We were OK. And that's the last conversation I had.

She says her son had likely been dead for about a month before his body was discovered.

He left February 15. And that's the day I feel like he died, because I never heard from him again. And I wasn't worried about it because I thought he went to rehab. And people kept asking me, have you heard from him? Have you heard from him? And I'm like, no, no, I'm sure he's fine, though. I'm sure he's fine.

And then after 30 days, I called the police.

While the city has long struggled with addiction, the arrival of the synthetic opioid fentanyl hit Baltimore particularly hard. Up to 50 times more potent than heroin, in the past six years, almost 6,000 people have died from an overdose, an average of three people every day.

Nick Thieme, The Baltimore Banner:

No major American city has had a drug overdose crisis as severe as Baltimore's today.

Alissa Zhu and Nick Thieme are reporters for The Baltimore Banner.

Alissa Zhu, The Baltimore Banner:

They will have someone speak around 12:15.

For the last two years, they have been investigating the city's overdose crisis in collaboration with The New York Times.

Alissa Zhu:

Something that we have just heard over and over again is that every day we get a homicide tally, but we don't get the same for overdoses. And, numerically, it is a far greater problem.

But getting that data wasn't easy. In 2022, after months of repeated requests for the city's autopsy reports, The Banner sued the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In January, a judge ruled in their favor.

We knew that these were public records and the public should know what's happening in the city in terms of overdose deaths.

Nick Thieme:

From the moment that data ended up on my computer, we started investigating. And you look at it, and, I mean, the entire city is colored with overdose deaths. Blocks in some of the poorer parts of Southwest Baltimore have lost upwards of 8 and 9 percent of their population to fatal overdose.

They're reporting found that overdoses began spiking in Baltimore about a decade ago, as fentanyl ravaged the city grappling with multiple challenges, including gun violence and later the pandemic.

They also found that one demographic has been hit especially hard, older Black men, who make up just 7 percent of the city's population, but account for nearly a third of all overdoses.

They die at higher rates from overdose than they did from COVID at the height of the pandemic, from all cancers put together. There is nothing statistically that kills this group of people more than fatal overdose.

How does the city respond to your reporting?

They were very defensive. They called our reporting misguided victim-blaming. And they were saying that our reporting should have focused on opioid manufacturers' role in all of this because they are currently litigating against pharmaceutical companies.

This summer, Baltimore has reached $90 million in settlement agreements, the first with pharmaceutical giant Allergan and just last week was CVS for their roles in the city's overdose crisis.

And a September trial is set for several other defendants, including Walgreens and Johnson & Johnson. Citing the litigation, Baltimore's Mayor Brandon Scott declined our interview request, but his office provided the "News Hour" with this statement.

"For years, manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids targeted Baltimore with hundreds of millions of prescription opioid pills. This reporting faults the city for its efforts to clean up the mess these companies made."

Mark Conway, Baltimore City Councilman:

I think we need to understand the problem.

Last month, Baltimore Councilman Mark Conway, who chairs the city's Public Safety Committee, planned a public hearing looking into what The Banner's investigation found.

Mark Conway:

We, as public officials, need as much information as possible in order to be effective on the changing nature of drug overdoses.

But just hours before Conway's hearing was scheduled to start, it was abruptly canceled. Baltimore's mayor said a public hearing could endanger the city's litigation against opioid manufacturers.

For the City Council not to be briefed and not to have transparent, open conversations about what we're dealing with because of pending litigation, I think is a mistake, because we have decisions that we should be considering right now.

While the litigation continues, many Baltimore families are still coming to grips with all that's been lost.

I never thought he was dead. I never, ever thought that.

When Mona Setherly finally got an update on her son, Bruce, it was the kind of news that no mother wants to hear.

When they found him, the police called and said: "Can I come over?"

And I was like: "Sure, "

He didn't even tell me. He just sat down and I sat down, and I was like, I could see. I knew. I said: "Don't — please don't tell me that."

Today, she wears a necklace that her son was wearing at the time of his death and tries to remember the good times.

We did so many things that I am so grateful for. And he made me so happy. I wanted a lot more years, but you have got to be grateful for the time that you're given.

So this is Devon Wellington's Way. You can come here whenever you want and see your daddy street named after him, all right?

Donna Bruce is now using her son's death to try to reach as many people as she can before it's too late.

My son had to die for me to live, as if he understood that this was part of my assignment for Cassidy.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Christopher Booker in Baltimore.

Listen to this Segment

Watch the Full Episode

Christopher Booker is a correspondent and producer for PBS NewsHour Weekend covering music, culture, our changing economy and news of the cool and weird. He also teaches at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs , following his work with Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in Chicago and Doha, Qatar.

Mike Fritz is the deputy senior producer for field segments at PBS NewsHour.

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7 Years After ‘Summer of Hell,’ the Subway Is Approaching Another Crisis

The suspension of congestion pricing has put off critically needed repairs to New York City’s transit network. Experts say the system hangs by a thread.

Seven years ago, after a series of subway failures so severe that a stretch of 2017 came to be known as the Summer of Hell, New York officials came up with a plan to make sure a crisis like that would never happen again.

Through a tolling program known as congestion pricing, they would raise enough money to restore the system to competency. This would ward off the kind of meltdowns that had left passengers stranded without service, trapped them in dark, hot cars and injured them in derailments.

Now, with congestion pricing on hold, experts warn that a return to hell is inevitable.

The tolling program would have generated $15 billion to fund critical infrastructure upgrades such as fixing century-old tunnels and crumbling tracks. Just weeks before officials were to begin collecting tolls in June, Gov. Kathy Hochul canceled the plan . In doing so, climate change and engineering experts say that she left the continent’s biggest transportation network teetering on the brink of another crisis.

“Concrete and steel, you poke holes in it, subject it to water and chemicals and salt for 100 years, it’s going to give out,” Janno Lieber, the chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said during a board meeting last week. “That is what’s happening, and we must do something about it.”

But the congestion pricing plan was politically unpopular, perhaps in part because the benefits to the system were harder to picture than the cost to motorists. A Siena College survey in April found that 63 percent of New York City residents were opposed to congestion pricing. It was even less popular among suburban respondents.

In other cities that have adopted congestion pricing, residents have initially reacted negatively, until the plans went into effect and their positive effects were realized.

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