The Mona Lisa of Leonardo by Seri Piero da Vinci is one of the most visited, written about, sung about and spoken about paintings of all time. In the following pages I will give a detailed description of the painting, the historical context surrounding its creation, and an in-depth comparison between Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait. The Mona Lisa (Fig. 01) is a 16th century oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The subject, commonly believed to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florence businessman, is seated in a relaxed three-quarter pose, her hands gently placed one on top of the other. While a quick glance at the painting reveals a gentle, gentle female form against a backdrop of an intriguing landscape, a closer study introduces an additional layer of mystery. The way the woman looks slightly to the side as well as her small smile gives viewers the impression that she knows a secret. Yet at the same time she seems to be very kind, friendly and approachable. Using oil paints, Leonardo managed to create a realistic painting. As the paints dried very slowly, he had time to mix and change all his colors until everything was the right shade to achieve perfection. The color palette chosen by Leonardo gives a striking contrast between the light face, dark clothing and medium background. With such a strong contrast, the viewer is first directed to the face and hands before scanning the entire painting. It also allows you to define between the areas of the painting (hair and forehead, sleeves and hands, chin and neck, etc.) without having a direct and hard line. The curves of the woman's sleeves and shoulder are repeated in the trees and road in the background, while the vertical...... middle of paper ...... uncovered, the background had was painted black, but when the painting was cleaned, scientific analysis revealed that the copy had most likely been painted by another artist who, alongside Leonardo, said and copied his work brushstroke by brushstroke . (SmartHistory.com) In 2012, museum officials announced that "it was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci's apprentices alongside the master himself, as he did the original." » (Parveen) According to Jean-Pierre Cuzin, curator of the Louvre, “the entire history of the portrait then depends on the Mona Lisa. If you look at all the other portraits - not only from the Italian Renaissance, but also from the 17th and 19th centuries - if you look at Picasso, anyone you want to name, they were all inspired by this painting, so it's in some way sort the root of the Western portrait. (PBS.org)