Thursday, September 19, 2019

Mona Lisa

Today in 2013, I started up Ottawa Daily Photo. Six years are done, and so begins Year Seven.

Several detail points of the Mona Lisa were blown up and displayed for this exhibit at the Canada Science And Technology Museum, such as the hands, the eyes, or the smile. I chose to focus on the hands.


Cotte used the Layer Amplification Method for his analysis to peer beneath the layers of the painting. It is generally thought that the painting is a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Leonardo's patron.


The portrait with pearls is thought to be the second layer after the draft portrait in Cotte's analysis. It includes details not in the final painting. 


The third layer is that of Gherardini herself. 


And then there's the painting we know today, the final Mona Lisa, with different takes on her- as we see her now, in black and white, and in original colour.

44 comments:

  1. Congratulations on completing 6 years of a daily post. That is quite an achievement. As soon as I saw the hands I knew it was the Mona Lisa. I am not sure there is any other painting I would recognise so easily from a small section.

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  2. The enigmatic smile, the beautifully painted hands, eyes that will always follow you... A portrait that will always be surrounded by mistery,

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  3. All that is true on photos, the reality is a bit different because the painting is so small, but the eyes yes they follow you.

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  4. Congratulations on your blog ... I wish you many years of pleasure writing and photographing!
    Only a devoted painter can do that ... the hands, the smile, are so unique!

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  5. Congratulation on completing your 6th year. Mine will be 5th year in 2 months time. The famous Mona Lisa portrait.

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  6. Congrats for your six years' blogging! That's quite a long time.
    All the best!

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  7. Congratulations!
    Your blog is the best of the best!
    I'm always in awe of how well you write about the details of the places you photograph.

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  8. Happy year 7 then :-)
    Quite a hype about that "lady", she even made it to The Simpsons, if I remember correctly!

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  9. Well done on six years blogging, and may you have many more to come.
    Hands are renown for being one of the most difficult things to paint. I wonder what Leonardo would think if he knew just how well known his Mona Lisa had become throughout the whole world?

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  10. Every year is a great milestone. I love the unpeeling of the layers.

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  11. Happy Year 7 to someone who does so much to help build community here! I'm sending you my best smile, much bigger than a Mona Lisa one!

    Janis
    GDP

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  12. ...congratulations, I started my blog in late December 2012. Where does the time go?

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  13. i always wonder why they think she is pretty. not ugly but i would say a very pretty person? but to each his/her own. i guess??! ( ;

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  14. I doubt that Ottawa has ever been continuously photographed for so long! The Mona Lisa probably has an extra smile today.

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  15. Congratulations on your blogaversary. I look forward to many interesting posts in the year to come. The Mona Lisa has always been a fascinating painting, and you make it even more so in your post. :-)

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  16. That’s a lot of photos in six years. Well done. Mona was a great way to celebrate too.

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  17. Gosh who knew such a small portrait could hold so many mysteries 💜 Congrats on six super years William and looking forward to year number seven ✨

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  18. Very interesting!
    Congratulations on your blog anniversary!
    Have a wonderful day!

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  19. Fascinating! Congrats on the 6 years, William!

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  20. Oh that's great to have 6 years of blogs. Mine was started in 2010...had to go look! And this was a second version of another one. It is still fun, which is why we do it (I guess.)

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  21. I think this is an issue tha won't go away. You give a good description of the methods used.

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  22. @Fun60: thanks!

    @Catarina: true!

    @Gattina: they do.

    @Ella: I agree.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Italiafinlandia: thanks!

    @Maywyn: thank you!

    @Iris: I hadn't seen that one.

    @Rosemary: he'd be proud.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Joan: so do I.

    @Anvilcloud: thanks!

    @Janis: thank you!

    @Tom: time flies!

    @Beth: she's enigmatic.

    @David: I know there was a previous blog.

    @DJan: thank you!

    @Marie: thanks!

    @Grace: she has her secrets.

    @Lea: thanks!

    @Red: thank you.

    @Barbara: definitely.

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  23. @Fun60: thanks!

    @Catarina: true!

    @Gattina: they do.

    @Ella: I agree.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Italiafinlandia: thanks!

    @Maywyn: thank you!

    @Iris: I hadn't seen that one.

    @Rosemary: he'd be proud.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Joan: so do I.

    @Anvilcloud: thanks!

    @Janis: thank you!

    @Tom: time flies!

    @Beth: she's enigmatic.

    @David: I know there was a previous blog.

    @DJan: thank you!

    @Marie: thanks!

    @Grace: she has her secrets.

    @Lea: thanks!

    @Red: thank you.

    @Barbara: definitely.

    @Red: thank you.

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  24. Congratulations on the anniversary! Here's to many more years!
    That guy did some serious analysis of that painting.

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  25. Congrats on your blog's anniversary! I am looking forward to your future post. The Mona Lisa must be the most famous painting, I would like to see it myself. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great weekend ahead.

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  26. Interesting exhibit!
    Congratulations on your blogoversay :-)

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  27. A great exhibit. Congrats on six years of blogging, a very impressive milestone, William.

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  28. Interesting to see how an artist works.

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  29. @Sharon: it took him a long while.

    @Eileen: thank you!

    @Tamago: yes it was.

    @Marleen: it was indeed.

    @Bill: thanks!

    @Revrunner: it is.

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  30. Happy blogversary and wish you many more!

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  31. Such wonderful news about the blog.
    What a wonderful exhibit and so interesting.
    You are out and about in such wonderful places.
    parsnip

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  32. Happy blogaversary! Congratulations on six years.

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  33. Congratulations! I actually thought it was longer, probably because you have so many posts and they are so detailed. You are not only a great blogger, but one of the best commenters out there!

    I was surprised to see all those layers of the Mona Lisa. I love the third one!

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  34. I wonder if she was just a girl who thought she'd never be famous.

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  35. That's really interesting!
    Happy #7!

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  36. First of alle congratulations with the anniversary of your blog.
    After all those years, Mona Lisa is still a kind of mystery.

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  37. Many congratulations for your six years blogging :)
    I enjoyed your post.

    All the best Jan

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  38. I am a bit late in wishing you a Happy blog anniversary, William. Mona Lisa remains a women of interest after all these years.

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  39. @Joanne: it is indeed.

    @Magiceye: thank you.

    @Parsnip: it was good to visit here.

    @Kay: thank you!

    @Linda: thanks!

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  40. @Sandi: if she was Lisa, she was already well known as the wife of a nobleman.

    @Jenn: thank you!

    @Jan: she is indeed.

    @Jan: thank you.

    @Beatrice: definitely.

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