La Gioconda (also called "Mona Lisa"), Undisputed masterpiece of Leonardo Da Vinci, has always been at the center of new studies, with often surprising results. It is thanks to the work of experts that new interesting details have come to light that have allowed us to reconstruct the history of the painting and his "enigmatic subject". Among the most recent works is the research of Annalisa DiMaria, member of the Board of Directors of the Club for UNESCO of Florence, as well as among the leading experts of Leonardo da Vinci. The researcher's study focused on the figure of Lisa gherardini, or the woman portrayed in the famous painting, who remained immortal thanks to Leonardo. The researcher was able to confirm theidentity of Gioconda, analyzing a drawing by Leonardo, entitled "Head of a woman", Owned by Gallery of the Academy of Venice.
One of the first to put forward the thesis that the Mona Lisa was Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, it was Giorgio Vasari. Neither "The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects"(1550), Vasari wrote:"He took Lionardo to paint the portrait of Mona Lisa his wife for Francesco del Giocondo; and four years ago he left it imperfect which work today is next to King Francis of France in Fontanbleo ”. Another clue in this sense came thanks to Dr. Armin Schlechter, director of the library ofHeidelberg University. In 2005 Schlechter discovered in fact the notes of a Florentine official, Agostino Vespucci, dating back to 1503"(Like) the painter Apelles. So does Leonardo da Vinci in all his paintings, for example for the head of Lisa del Giocondo and Anna, the mother of the Virgin”(Editor's note“ Sant'Anna, the Virgin and Child with the little lamb ”, 1503 - 1519, Louvre Museum).
The face of the Mona Lisa in a sketch by Leonardo
Annalisa Di Maria compared the two works with the Leonardo sketch, noting obvious and interesting common traits. According to the researcher, in fact, in the "woman's head"By Leonardo:"the features of the Mona Lisa light up in a play of light and shadow; the same mouth with an enigmatic smile, a clear forehead, a long and fine nose, a pronounced parting with a veil on the nape. Her plump, drooping shoulders draw the same cleavage in an identical build". This is a significant discovery. Thanks to the analysis of this preparatory study, Annalisa DiMaria managed to explain Agostino Vespucci's reference. Mona Lisa is the model used to paint Sant'Anna (the works were made in the same period). The Florentine master would have modified only some details, including the features, the expression, the positioning or the hairstyle.
«THEentire composition of the Mona Lisa - concluded researcher Annalisa Di Maria - is a symbolic reminder of antiquity, the stole, the embroideries, a mountainous landscape that evokes among the Greeks, the place of residence of the deities. A divine wisdom emanating from this character and invites to contemplation. The mysterious and foggy atmosphere that touches the real and the unreal expresses the transition between two worlds. As a spiritual self-portrait, Leonardo da Vinci, through the Mona Lisa, reveals his soul and shares his faithful Neoplatonic thoughts where "the spirit never dies". This transcendent, time-traveling work makes Leonardo da Vinci's soul immortal, reincarnating his spirit forever.».
