The Mona Lisa is a famous 16th-century portrait by Leonardo da Vinci. The Mona Lisa's mysterious smile has beguiled generations of viewers, but the true identity of the woman pictured in the portrait remains unknown, despite intensive research by art historians. Many believe the Mona Lisa to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. (Thus the Mona Lisa is known in Italy as La Gioconda.) Others have suggested the subject was a mistress of da Vinci, or even a self-portrait, with da Vinci imagining himself as a woman. It is known that Leonardo began the portrait in Florence in 1503, continued work on it through 1506, and then kept the painting until his death in 1519. Over the next three centuries the Mona Lisa passed through many hands, even hanging for a time in the bedroom of Napoleon, but since 1804 its home has been the Louvre Museum in Paris. Leonardo's painting is famous among artists for its innovative techniques, including sfumato (shown in the painting's distinctive hazy, soft-focus effect) and chiaroscuro (use of light and shadow).
Leonardo da Vinci used a combination of oil , paint, and eggyolk. The stickiness of the egg allowed the pigment to appear to a surface. But most famous frescos are painted on a wet plaster so when it dries the pigment becomes part of the wall. But da Vinci obted to paint on dry plaster which made made the cololr less permanent adding to the problem, the last supper was painted on a North Fasting wall.
Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps was most noted fas an artist, was also an architect, inventor and chronicler of science, among other outlets of his talents. Born on April 15,1452, in Vinci Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was the son of a prominent attorney notary and a young peasant girl. Born out of wedlock, he was raised by his father, Ser Piero, and several stepmothers. His early years were spent living on his father's family estate in Vinci. During this period of his life, he was also influenced by his uncle, who had love of nature and has a hand in rearing him during his formative years.