tHe mYsTeRy oF mOnA LisA's SmiLe..
Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)
Ever wondered why from time to time she is smiling and at other times she isn’t? Well..Try doing this;
Look at her eyes. What do you see? A beautiful mesmerizing smile. Then again, look at her but this time at her mouth. And what do you see? Smile fades.
Based on a research done by a Harvard neuroscientist, Dr. Margaret Livingstone on Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile, she claims that the’ human eyes are able to see two distinct region. One is the central area (fovea) where people see colors, read fine print, pick out details while the second is the peripheral area, surrounding the fovea, where people see black and white, motion and shadows.’
So when we are looking at her face, the first thing we will observe is the eyes. Our eyes are in the position where everything besides her eyes are in the ‘shadow’ (peripheral) area. As a result, the smile we see appear to be a wide smile as we are actually including her cheekbones as the image of her smile. But when you look at her mouth, you will realize she smile isn’t that broad after all!!
Well..Dont think that the mystery of Mona Lisa’s smile has been solved. Another mystery has arisen from this explanation. And that is, did Leonardo Da Vinci draw this painting without looking at her mouth to create this kind of effect? And if yes, then how??
