Art

Art affects each and everybodys emotions, thoughts and ideas thus in our day today life we cannot afford to ignore art (Paul Gaultier 2004). Art includes drama, music, sculpture painting among others and in one way or another they are used to show the creativity of the artist, entertain the audience and some times for commercial purposes. Art in Australia is getting international recognition though it is getting affected by culture change. The current art in Australia is using new techniques, using new media and also new perspective compared to the art in the past thus making their art to be very attractive.

In Australia art is very important because it through art that ideas are shown, the history of Australia can be shown through their music, through writing and drama (Queens land 2010). One can be in a position to know what happened in the past, what is happening currently and what is expected in the future. Art has been used in Australia to liven up things (Ian Besser 2005). Through art, buildings, parks, hotels and the general physical ambience looks attractive and very comfortable. Art is used to show certain meaning like boredom and love. The colour and shapes used show a particular meaning. Art is also used as profession since people can make money out of it and make a living. In Australia art is also used as a learning tool and it is found in all learning institutions where young students are taught so that when they grow up they will be in a position of appreciating it.

Australia has different types of art which is very important to that society, but focusing on their music, it ranges from different genres and styles. These types of music include country music, childrens music, soul music or reggae and blues, rock music and dance music. Music is very important in the society of Australia and people perceive it to play an important role. It is used for entertainment purposes (Susan Ellan George, 2005). When there is event, music has to be incorporated in order to prevent boredom. Music is also used as a corrective tool through which people are warned against bad cultural practices and told what is good and bad.

Music in Australia is also used as a symbol to indicate whatever is going on. If there is something happening in the country, music about the happenings will be composed. Also if there is an event taking place like a wedding ceremony or a burial, music relating to the event will be played so that the audience can know whatever is happening (Steven, 2008). It is also used to educate and the bad people in the society can be influenced to change their behavior through the music. Whenever there is a dispute or disagreement between two groups, after discussion and solving the problem music can be played to show harmony between them (Australia Council 2008).  Music also acts as a source of income for those people in that industry since they can make money from it. People get informed about the history of Australia through their music and it is also through it that musicians express themselves (John McDonald 2008). Drama and visual arts in Australia are also perceived to play an important role just like music. They are used to educate, entertain, communicate, connect people across different cultures and time and also entertain. They are also used to educate and a source of income for those in that industry.

In conclusion, art is everywhere and very important in peoples everyday activities. The above information explains how art and specifically music art is perceived to be very important to the Australia society because it plays an important role in their lives.

In 2005, the married collaborators known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude installed 7,503 gates draped in saffron-colored nylon along the pathways of New Yorks Central Park. The artistic intentions of the project, whatever artistic theory might have prompted the installation, seemed vague, even when considered in light of the artists own explanations. In a 2010 interview, Christo explained that his work is an interpretation of landscape and architecture (Newman).  Disregarding any notion that a redeeming concept might improve the public perception of the project, Christo resisted any claim to an aesthetic theory undergirding his work, saying, The concept is easy. Any idiot can have a good idea (Newman).  The name of the project, however, seems to belie Christos repudiation of concept.  It is clear that The Gates, Central Park, New York, 19792005 spent the first twenty-six years of its existence as a concept awaiting realization.  But Christos response to the question of concept indicates that he wanted the viewer to appreciate the installation purely on aesthetic terms, to feel the grandeur and whimsy of the billowing gates. But because much of the public lacks an aesthetic sense, the installation was widely derided and inadequately appreciated.

The project took on a life of its own, that is, one uncontrolled by the artists themselves, in the popular media. Aesthetic merit was not the chief concern of most critiques.  A New York Post editorial was typical in its attack on the installations cost to the city Flapping like undies on a tenement clothesline, the radioactive-looking orange fabric sheets sullied the parks austere winter beauty in the cause of generating a claimed, but entirely unsubstantiated, 254 million in economic activity for the city (Cuozzo).  A procession of New York Times headlines shows a more restrained, though no less skeptical, assessment of the installation Whose Color Is It Anyway (February 23, 2005) Some Sadder than Others as first Gates Start Falling (March 1, 2005) Enough About Gates as Art, Lets Talk About that Price Tag (March 5, 2005).    

Christo and Jeanne Claude did attempt to put their own spin on the project with an authorized documentary, The Gates, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Albert Maysles. While the film does contain some beautiful shots of the bright gates in a snowy park, most of the screen time is taken up with the reactions of New Yorkers. Some are critical and dismissive, while others demonstrate the proper awe.  But this hardly seems like the kind of documentary the artists should have shot if their aim was to impart an authentic aesthetic experience.  Filled as it is with perspectives on the art, the documentary lacks the purity of the work itself.  It seems that Christo and Jeanne-Claude should have exerted more control over the film representation of the project.  And a better handling of the popular media, the media in which, after all, most people would see the installation, would surely have improved the experience many viewers had.  The installation and the reaction to it demonstrate how artists working in unconventional media might lose control of their work as it is recorded and reproduced.

1.What incorrect assumptions about the subject matter and meaning of Pieter Breugel the Elders peasant painting does Svetlana Alpers argue previous art historicans have maid when describing the artistic aims of these works

Previous historicans, especially those of the nineteenth (19th) century, assumed Pieter Breugels art to be depicting moral sins.  For one, they have accused Breugels  Wedding Dance  to have displayed human lust   the foreground illustrating the  abandoning of human instincts  as the dancers have only pleasure and satisfaction to think about.   According to Alpers, this is a rather biased view of Breugels art, for the 19th century historicans have  compared their  solemn  wedding traditions to that of the peasants way of celebration during Breugels time. (165)  Subsequently, she stated that in the sixteenth (16th) and seventeenth (17th) century, artists like Breugel painted only what they see around them out of sheer interest. (165) It is far from the symbolic pieces of art done today.

2. What does Alpers claim may have led Breugels well-to-do patrons to prize his and other artists paintings of peasant life

During the time of Phillip II, the peasants suffered tremendous financial difficulties therefore, they cannot celebrate weddings and banquets with utmost style like those of the gentry.  They celebrate these events with great fun and  leisure  therefore, art pieces with themes of such attracted middle class patrons. (Alpers 168-169)

3. What is  the comic mode  and how does Alpers argue that this mode of representation affected or guided Breugels picture of sixteenth century peasants

Alpers stated that the comic mode of Breugels art is the feeling of  separateness  from the paintings. (174) According to her, Breugel dressed himself up as a peasant in order to go to the festivities nevertheless, he was not one of them. (174)  He was there but he viewed the peasants from afar -  just like some few characters found in his art the  Wedding Dance .  The people who view his art is invited into the festivities but they can never really join and it is never really known whether this mode was intentional. (Alpers 174)

Palmyra is a city that is situated in the desert of Syria, famously known as the bride of the desert. Palmyra is a Greek term for the city Tadmor, which implies a palm tree. The remains of the city tell a lot about its history, and most importantly, its artistic history. In the ancient times, it was a city of great importance to the people of Syria. The people of Palmyra always built many large scale monuments, funeral arts being one of them, simply to honor the deceased. The funeral arts were made of limestone slabs with human busts (Richmond, 45). The oasis, another name for Palmyra, is near a hot water spring called Afqa, which makes it a convenient stop for caravans moving between Iraq and Syria. The strategic position of Palmyra made it prosper in a well established kingdom.

Palmyra grew into a city after being conquered by the Romans, and became known as a city of palm trees. The Romans helped renovate the city, by building new constructions, streets, arches, temples and statues. All these made Palmyra one of the greatest cities of the Roman Empire. However, there were disputes in Palmyra that caused its fall and the kingdom that was being ruled by a queen was replaced by that ruled by a military camp. Archeologists are still working on excavations in order to try and find out the queens palace that was destroyed by Romans and replaced by a military camp (Richmond, 49).

The most striking building in Palmyra is the huge temple of Baal. This temple is the most important building of the first century AD in the Middle East. The building originated as a Hellenistic temple where only as per now, only fragments of stones exist. The central shrine was built almost the same time that the temple was built, followed by a large arcaded entrance in a Corinthian style. The temple measures 205 by 210 meters, and starting from the temple, a street with tall pillars, corresponding to the ancient Decumanus, leads to the rest of the ancient city. It further has an arch monument with rich decorations that are very attractive. The second most largest and important building in Palmyra is the theatre that has 9 rows of sitting that can be increased to twelve with the addition of wooden structures.  It was also built in the 1st century AD. Just behind the theater is a small Senate. Here, the local nobility used to discuss laws and political decisions. Other buildings that can be traced with the history of Palmyra in Syria are the Transverse streets that lead to the Diocletians camp, built by the Governor of Syria, Sosianus Hierocles, with the remains of the large central hall housing the legions standards (Murray, 273). Also the temple of the Syrian goddess Allat, the Damascus Gate and the Temple of Baal-Shamin, were erected and later expanded under the reign of Odenathus.

The Palmyrenes also built a series of large scale funerary monuments, which form what is famously called Valley of the Tombs. The tombs have a series of large structures with rich decorations. These tombs were below the ground and had internal walls that were cut away or constructed to form burial compartments in which the deceased were placed. Limestone tabs sealed the rectangular openings of the compartments.  The extensive ruins at Palmyra reveal the network plan of the ancient city. The Corinthian order marks almost all the monuments, but the influence of Mesopotamia and Iran is also clearly evident (Murray, 275).

The art that is found on the monuments and tombs in Palmyra also reflects the influences of the surrounding Roman and Persian empires. The art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences (Downey, Takayasu  Saito, 230). The Roman art and artists was, and still is an outstanding combination in the history of Palmyra Syria architecture. In the first place, Rome was ruled by kings who always wanted a wide range of Etruscan style paintings and sculptures for their buildings and tombs, and further still, to celebrate victories in the military wars.  With the foundation of the Roman Republic, Etruscan influence grew on and as the Romans started interacting with the flourishing Greek cities of southern Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean. This led to the influence of Greek Art and culture. Later, a lot of Greek works of art were being taken to Rome (Stoneman, 273).

The Roman Art never had an important status in Rome, simply because the Roman leaders never took the Roman art as a priority since they were concerned with the survival and military affairs. There was an absence of an independent cultural tradition and this meant that the most Roman Painting and sculpture was highly derived from the Greek art works. In fact, ancient Rome was different from the imperial powers of the ancient world in developing only a limited artistic language of its own. Generally, the art and architecture of the Romans, in relation to the paintings and sculptures, were majorly imitative of Greek artists and influenced by art forms in its vassal states like Persia and Egypt (Stoneman, 274).

It is also clear that the Romans art was inferior when compared to the artistic achievement of the Greek, despite their great success in military. The Romans main objective was to recycle Greek sculpture as a response to their inferiority. This made the Greek despise the Romans so much in the fields of art, for instance, when Romans could go to buy statues from the Greek, they would be given statues without heads, so as to fit their own heads. The early Roman art seemed to be representational, realistic and direct. The portraits both in sculpture and paintings were very detailed and had a lot of implications in meaning of use. However, later during the Imperial age, the Roman artists became aware of the propaganda value, and decided to bring out political messages and implications through the poses and subject matter, especially in the portraits of their emperors, similarly in reliefs and wall painting. For instance, in commemoration of a battle, the artwork could be executed in a realistic style. This realistic style contrasts with that of the Greek artists who celebrated their military achievements indirectly, using legendary symbols (Delbrueck, 43).

The roman sculpture, which was influenced heavily by the Greek statues and reliefs of the Hellenistic period, included statues that are free standing, wall paintings and busts, that are made of purely bronze and stone. Viewers perceived them as paramount because they were designed as public art. Therefore, many Roman sculptures were designed mainly to impress the public which was composed of the Roman citizens and the barbarians. These sculptures communicated to the viewers the majesty and power of Rome. The wall paintings and reliefs of military scenes were highly detailed, on the other hand the mood and expressions of the Roman statues was typically solemn and unsmiling (Delbrueck, 44). Further still, the Imperial or rather the military groups of figures were arranged carefully to exhibit position.

The Roman busts and statues were considered the most important contribution to the sculpture of the ancient times in the ancient Rome. Statues of Roman leaders had been on the display in public places for centuries, but with the commencement of the Empire in the late first century BCE, Emperor Statues made of stone or bronze, were sent to all the Roman territories of the world. The statues served an important function in reminding Roman citizens of the Romes powers. More to that, the greatest contribution of the Roman sculpture to the history of Art in Rome, lies in its replication of original Greek statues, most of which no longer exist. Greek art also receives its appreciation that it deserves from these acts of copying statues and making similar ones.

The Roman paintings in Pompeii and Herculaneum are some of the most surviving paintings that exist. Most of these Pompeii paintings are decorative murals, featuring seascapes and landscapes, and were painted by skilled interior decorators rather than genuine artists, an indication of the function of art in Roman society. The paintings are believed to have survived from destruction by the eruption of Vesuvius in 1879 (Delbrueck, 45). This has always reminded the Romans of the history of their art.

The highest form of painting in Rome was the Panel paintings. These were also found in Greece. Panel painting refers to the pictures painted on panels, either on one piece or multi-piece, usually made of wood, even though rigid materials and metals are used. All Roman paintings, that were movable, were entirely built on panels. This happened till the discovery of canvas. However, most of the Roman panel paintings have been destroyed and the largest surviving groups of panel paintings from the ancient times are the Egyptian mummy portraits. These pictures were executed with the use of encaustic or tempera methods. In Rome, another panel painting that is surviving is the Severan Tondo a picture of the imperial family (Colledge, 436).

There also existed triumphal paintings in the Roman art. Roman artists were commissioned frequently to produce pictures highlighting the various successes of the militaries. Literary, these paintings depicted the battle or rather the wars the Romans fought in details and they were included with the mixed media decorations and map designs to inform and impress the public. These paintings encouraged the fighters during those times and as per now, they exhibit the mighty of the ancient Rome Empire. (Colledge, 445)

In the Roman art there also existed Roman murals that were executed in al fresco and in al secco. Al fresco painting is where paint was applied on wet plaster while Al seccos are the paintings where paint was applied on dry walls. These murals are classified into four periods as distinguished by a German archeologist following his excavations at Pompeii. The first style was the masonry style, derived from the Hellenistic palaces in the Middle East. It uses vivid colors and stimulates the appearance of marble. The second style of Roman murals had a main objective to create the illusion of extra space by painting pictures with significant depth. This included views overlooking a garden or other landscape. This second style later developed to cover the entire wall, creating the impression that one was looking out of a room onto a real scene.

The third style of the mural painting happened to be more ornamental with less illusion of depth. The wall was divided into specific zones with the use of pictures of columns. Scenes that were painted in the zones were typically either exotic representation of real or imaginary animals. Last was the forth style of the Roman mural painting. This was simply a combination of the third and second painting styles (Colledge, 449). It happened during the late Roman art, where the depth returned to the mural but it was executed more decoratively, with more use of ornaments. For instance, the artist can paint several windows which, instead of looking out into a landscape, showed scenes from Greek myths.

In conclusion, the end of the Roman art that marked the commencement of modern art is usually said to occur with the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity and the transfer of the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople in AD 330. Roman Artistic designs still remain in the history of architecture because of their classic styles.  Most importantly, Roman art is not just the art of the Emperors, senators, and aristocracy, but of all the people and citizens of the Romes vast empire, including the middle class businessmen, freedmen, slaves and soldiers in all parts of Rome. Generally, Romes monuments and statues were designed to serve the needs or their patrons rather that to express the artistic temperaments or the artists.

Romare Beardens art, methods as well as the materials he used were similar in terms of them being multilayered and complexity the possessed. Each of the pieces of objects employed in his body of work requires meticulous observation in order to capture the several facets it possesses. In his art career that spanned across four decades, he dealt with a wide array of media that included water and oil based paintings, monotypes, assemblage sculpturing (just one) and edition prints. However, collage is the technique that elevated to Bearden to the platform of recognition in the world of art. He used collage in avant-garde fashion right from the very beginning of his venture into this style.

He made his premier piece of collage at around 1956. Later, his works of art underwent a radical transformation around the 1960s. He had two paradigm shifts in his style. The first shift transpired between 1963 and 1964 he reverted to figuration from his abstract works. The second shift entailed an adaptation of the collage technique whilst he discarded painting. The revamped interest in figuration could be explained by his visit to France where he accrued his inspiration from European art maestros. Other artists who influenced his shift to collage are Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell. These were New York based collage maestros who had been practicing the style since the 1940s. There is high likelihood that he came across The Dada Painters and Poets An Anthology, in which collage was inclusive. This 1951 publication was edited by Robert Motherwell whom he looked up to. The 1961 Art of Assemblage that was mounted at the Museum of Modern Art contained collages mage by his former tutor George Grosz and other renown artists such as Jean Debuffet, Kurt Schwitters and Hannah Hch. Bearden began exploring his skills in collage in the wake of attending this event (Greenberg, 44-46).

His body of work exudes an element of cubism given the special attention to geometry evident in his work. Beardens stringent principle enabled his work to be consistent and ordered despite its abstractness. He broke down his methodology by stressing that he begins by drawing a number of colored rectangles. It is imperative to note that some of these starter rectangles are reduced by ratio in proportion to the main rectangle he is working on.  This is followed by pasting an arbitrary photograph on the canvas as a starting point of the process. Movement on the canvas is strictly up and across from pasting to tearing anything on it. This was Beardens way of establishing a form of control on the canvas that encompasses both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the piece of work. Another principle he used was to steer clear from overdoing slanting movements in his work (Bearden, 11-13).

From the perspective of compositional inspiration, he borrowed elements from four Dutch maestros who heavily influenced him. This was due to the high level of organization and planning exhibited by their structures that was in tandem with his inclination to interior works of art. He was influenced majorly by Johannes Vermeer and Jan Steen although Pieter de Hooch and Rembrandt also played a role. This is because their body of work was characteristically controlled in a fashion that was analogous to Mondrian. These artists achieved this quality by employing the superimposition of rectangles or inserting smaller ones into larger rectangles. This made a superimposition an integral part of his works an element that once could not miss (Bearden, 19).

Bearden developed his nouveau technique by introducing other elements. He incorporated clippings of glossy magazines, foils, wallpaper strips, fabrics and paper that was either printed or painted by him. In some sections of the canvas, he deliberately obscured them with spray pain whilst masking other sections in order to produce crisp images. He went a step further to accentuate the color and texture of the surfaces of his collage. He used bleaching, puddling and abrasion techniques to achieve this effect. The circular markings that are salient in his works of 1970s were made by employing an electric eraser (Greenberg, 47).

In his last decade (1970-1980), Bearden became more inclined to making his collages increasingly painterly. In some cases the ratio of the collaged areas equaled the painted or was somewhat smaller. This was at the close of his career as he neared his demise. He seemed to be egalitarian hence striking a balance between collage and painting. He must have deemed both skills to be equally important. He therefore allowed himself to employ both techniques which he had mastered equally well in his previous sets of works. The blend of collage and paint was so seamless that the differences between two areas covered by either were almost imperceptible (difficult to distinguish the two). The overall effect achieved by this blend was fluidity and an unmistakable luminosity that emanated from within the work. Pieces of work that clearly demonstrate this painterly style include The Thirties Midtown Sunset and ProfilePart II (Fine, 14-15).

Another Bearden style is the print medium monotype which he practiced concurrently with the collage between 1973 and 1984. This technique achieved ghost prints of images by painting them on plastics or metals. The image is then transferred to the target surface by means of application of pressure on the surface using the painted plasticmetal. His uniqueness in this technique was by the utilization of acrylic paint, graphite, gauche or watercolor for the purposes of enhancement of the print on the surface. His monotype works uniquely showed a style similar to the painterly style. This can be exemplified by The Rain Forest- Pool (Fine,16).

His works were an inspiration to artist with shared interests such as August Wilson. Wilson was a playwright who drew his inspiration from Beardens collages. It changed the direction his dramas on African-American life took. This is because Wilson ventured into the themes that Bearden addressed in his collages in regards to African- American life. His intention was in tandem with Bearden through art African Americans could be elevated to universal paradigms and address perennial issues (Schwartzman, 62).

The world over people have constantly visited the Monalisa painting which currently hangs in the Louvre.  What is it about this painting that people seem to flock to it just to see it  Other than just being a painting hang in the Louvre, the Monalisa has dominated other media and surfaced in works that represent other genres.  No other painting has ever had the amount of celebrity that the Mona Lisa has. (DePaula)  The Monalisa is even a statistic as when overstockArt.com, released a list of the top 10 oil paintings featured in the media in the last decade. Topping the list was Leonardo Da Vincis internationally revered Mona Lisa. (Overstock)  The popularity of the painting may seem quite unprecedented but nevertheless, such could be traced to a number of reasons.  The Monalisa is still much visited today because it is shrouded in mystery and controversy that it is able to arouse curiosity, it is the subject of many popular and modern media, and simply because it is representative of the great master, Leonardo ad Vinci.

The mystery and controversy that surrounds the Monalisa is one of the reasons that it is still very popular today.  The mystery of Leonardos life as written by Vasari and his quirky methods of sleeping, learning, and even writing (backwards) has earned the painting much of its mystique. (Aspect Art)  This basically shows that the painting, as much as it is mysterious in itself, also reflects the eccentricities of the artist who made it.  To date, there is still some degree of mystery as to who the Monalisa is, in terms of subject, No one is wholly sure who the model was for the Mona Lisa. (Aspect Art)  The identity of the painting is not the only reason that it is still an unsolved mystery.  Of course, there have been many assumptions as to who the Monalisa is, but the world has yet to definitely confirm this hypothesis.  There are even speculations that the Monalisa is in fact a self-portrait of the artist himself rendered in the guise of a female.   Worse, for a time there was even a group who declared that the Monalisa was in fact a female version of Leonardo. (DePaula)  This is only part of the reason why this particular painting arouses the curiosity of the viewing public.  The Monalisa had also been involved in many high profile crimes it was stolen from the Louvre, to name one.  In August 21, 1911 the Monalisa suddenly disappeared from the Louvre.  Since the painting was so popular and so valuable, the theft made international headlines further amplifying the fame of Monalisa.  Three years later, an amazing thing happened -- she was found. This attention brought on by the theft and return of the painting caused people to take notice, especially details like the Mona Lisas smile. (DePaula)  The smile, in itself, is synonymous with beauty and the perfect enigmatic smile as some would put it.  Apart from being the subject of high profile crimes the Monalisa had also been put under much scrutiny like experiments and the like.  Many studies have tried to uncover details beneath the layer of paint, date the painting, test it for DNA and even trace it back to biblical times.  Some more bizarre experiments on the piece include trying to recreate the voice of the model by mapping the painting alone and explaining why the Monalisa smile is so mysterious.  In a particular study, a group determined that natural noise found on the painting (equivalent to the snow seen on a badly tuned TV set) makes people observing the picture believe its expression is subtly changing. (Cohen)  No other painting in the world aside from the Shroud of Turin has been subjected to so much attention and scrutiny as the Monalisa which explains why many people would want to go to the Louvre and actually lay their eyes on the real thing.

This particular painting is also very popular because it has been the subject of many other modern and popular media such as television, the movies, books, and even songs.  Interestingly, like many popular recording artists of today, the Mona Lisa went on a world tour. (DePaula) adding to its already unprecedented popularity.  The Monalisa has its own cameo appearance in Dan Browns novel The DaVinci Code and was also featured in the movie of the same title.  The movie, topping bills all over the world, dragged the painting along in its popularity.  So, as a result, many people would like to see the actual painting to confirm, if in fact what the novelmovie revealed are true where it is presented as as an androgynous self-portrait (Miesel) of Leonardo Da Vinci himself.  The Mona Lisa did not make the annual Top Ten list until after The Da Vinci Code film was released and the renowned work of art was featured in it. (Overstock)  Of course, this does not mean that without the movie Monalisa would not be as popular as it is today because media plays a very important role in how this particular painting is perceived by the people in general.  The media has caused the painting to become an icon of many things and it has also resulted in many people either wanting to see the painting or visit the painting first hand.  A lot of people like to keep up with the latest trends in design, and the media is a key influencer in what is deemed hip and desirable.(Overstock)  The Monalisa is even featured in recent art pieces and movements such as the Double Monalisa by Andy Warhol and imager of Marcel Duchamp.  The Monalisa is so popular nowadays that even singers and composers write songs or sing about it such as in the song Monalisa by Nat King Cole. In response to the oversaturation of her image and the worldwide recognition of her face, the up and coming arts movements began taking notice and born were the images of Marcel Duchamp in L.H.O.O.Q, Andy Warhols colored negatives, and Nat King Coles songs. (Aspect Art)

Of course, the main reason why many people still visit the Monalisa is because it is the work of a great artist, inventor, illustrator, and sculptor, Leonardo Da Vinci.  More than anything else, his identity as the artist has helped build up the painting to the kind of international cultdom it now holds. (Aspect Art)  Leonardo Da Vinci, having painted the Monalisa gave it its identity.  Artists, painters, cultural and social enthusiasts from all over the world visit the painting to, first and foremost, learn something about the artist.  This, to begin with, is the primary reason for peoples appreciating a work of art.  The painting is representative of the ideals, the principles, the belief systems, the emotions, as well as the period in which a particular artist survived.  So, more than just the mystery, the controversy, and the media blitz that the Monalisa receives, it is the fact that it was created by a legend that makes it so popular today.  To note as well is reality that Leonardo Da Vinci used a unique technique in creating the painting.  What was most impressive is Leonardos use of the sfumato technique this is what makes the Mona Lisa the Mona Lisa. The technique creates a mysterious look. (DePaula)  This technique is characterized by using a series of very small paint dots to create the entire picture therefore blurring the lines and distinct transitions from light to dark in the painting.  This painstaking process is the reason why Da Vinci had to work on the painting for four years before it was finally completed.  The result of this technique is a painting that has an internal or inherent glow or blur.  This makes the painting all the more mysterious.

Whatever the reasons for the popularity of the Monalisa one thing cannot be denied  that because of the many people going to the Louvre to visit and see the painting, it might as well be the reason for the existence of the Louvre.  However, one should not overlook the truth that there are other paintings in the Louvre aside from just the Monalisa.  This means that whoever goes to the Louvre to see the Monalisa will also likely view the other paintings that are in there that were created by the great masters visual arts.  The Monalisa is simply the gateway for other people to learn about all the other art pieces that are in the Louvre or all the pieces that are in one way or another connected to the Monalisa.  The Monalisa is, in this case, a means for people to discover art forms that are obscure but are exposed because of the Monalisa.  This is one of the advantages of having such a significant work of art.

We are all slaves of perception and the mere fact that we all seem to be interested in and curious of the Monalisa is an expression of this slavery.  However, such slavery is not fully based on the existence of the Monalisa but on the human thirst for knowledge.  The Monalisa is a piece that challenges the sources of knowledge and is, in effect an initiator of mans eternal search for enlightenment.  Over and above all reasons, this is the primary source of the interest and the curiosity that people have of the Monalisa.  This basically proves that the reason why the Monalisa is still profusely visited today by patrons from all over the world is the fact that first, the Monalisa is a source of much mystery and controversy, and second, because it is the subject of most of the modern and popular media of expression, and finally, because it is a representative of a great master, Leonardo Da Vinci.  These three reasons may be construed as superficial but they very well explain why even someone reading this essay would resolve to see the Monalisa in the Louvre before the end of this life.