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Michael Cox Assignment 1A Rhetorical Reflection Section HAMcGough September 8, 2013 The Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa

is one of the most famous art pieces in the world. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci some time between 1503 and 1506, the Mona Lisa is often regarded as an exceedingly enigmatic and perplexing masterpiece. The purpose of this essay is to shine some light on the context, intended audience, and purpose of the Mona Lisa. Why was it painted? What influenced da Vinci as he was creating this piece? Whom did he mean for this painting to impact? The Mona Lisa is a metaphor for the peace and contentment da Vinci hoped would follow the troubling times in French history. The Mona Lisa was painted in the early 16th century. During this time, France the country in which da Vinci resided and painted the Mona Lisa was experiencing the early stages of the French Renaissance. The Renaissance a French word meaning rebirth was a time of revival for the European arts, both textual and artistic. During the first ten years of the 16th century, France was continuing to recover from the onset of the Black Plague in the 14th century and the Hundred Years War in the late-14th and early 15th centuries. The people of France, during this time, had been exposed to innumerable scenes of carnage and death, and were ready to take the country in a new direction of peace and innocence. Da Vincis painting of the Mona Lisa was a symbol of this new direction. The woman depicted in the painting is at rest, with a smile gently resting on her lips. The landscape behind this mysterious woman is rugged and dismal, possibly symbolic of the rugged and dismal historical period France had emerged from less than one hundred years prior. Despite this war-torn environment, Mona Lisa appears to be comfortable and satisfied. Dressed modestly and possessing no more than average physical attributes, she represents the common people. Mona Lisa was a light in dark times for the French people. A light that seemed to say, We have been through some dark times, but we can pull through it and become a content peoples. As such an important beacon in such an important time, the Mona Lisas intended audience was the general population of France, specifically the people directly affected by the war. Leonardo da Vinci born in 1452 was a direct witness to the aftermath of the Hundred Years War. He was able to see first-hand the effects of the war on the people and environment. Fathers and brothers were returning from war while daughters, wives, and sisters were eagerly awaiting the return of their loved ones. Some of these women never saw the return of their fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers, and these are the people that da Vinci primarily wanted to influence with his oil painting the Mona Lisa. He wanted to show these women that it is possible to rise above the carnage, death, and misfortune that has permeated certain areas of their lives, and to continue in life as peaceful and content peoples.

Despite da Vincis valiant effort to convey this meaning through his painting, some of that original fervor for a better tomorrow has been lost through the reproduction of the painting in a textbooks, magazines, newspapers, the internet, and numerous other public mediums. The Mona Lisa, although originally meant as a symbol of hope, has been warped into nothing more than an extraordinarily famous and mysterious piece of art. The general public does not view her as a figure of hope. Instead, people everywhere see her as an average woman with not much of an original story surrounding her, but rather a lot of press coverage. The particular reproduction of the painting in a college textbook diverts much of the interpreted meaning away from the original purpose and towards an educational purpose. The Mona Lisa no longer embodies the hopes and dreams of the French people. It now is used as a symbol of artistic mastery towards which many people can strive. The Mona Lisa is often regarded as one of the most famous and important pieces of art in all recorded history. She is a symbol of hope, of perseverance, of recovery, and of rebirth. She is Leonardo da Vincis attempt to mend a war-torn and plague damaged country. To all the common people of France, the Mona Lisa was da Vincis method of saying what he yearned to etch into the heart of every man, woman, and child: It may be that unfortunate circumstances have befallen us all, but if we stand and continue to go on with life, we will reach a state in which we are no longer afflicted with the pains and torments of these past two hundred years.

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