Mona Lisa Smile

I read a story today about a man who has taken ultra-high pictures of DaVinci's masterpiece, The Mona Lisa. He learned therefrom that she had eyebrows at one time and is holding a blanket that has long been obliterated by time and restoration efforts. He also thinks her smile was originally more expressive and her face wider.

All this is very good, but I hear people crying that money was spent on this instead of feeding children or giving people a better way of life. Ok, I'll grant you that starving children are important. I will be one of the first to step up and help them myself. But these same people are stating that Mona Lisa is just an ugly painting that is the "biggest scam in the history of the world."

Those who dismiss Leonardo's works miss the entire point of art in general and DaVinci in particular. Mona Lisa is a masterpiece, pure and simple. She is one of DaVinci's greatest works. DaVinci was a genius beyond compare and seemingly had the world and everything in it at his very fingertips.

To me, it's one of the most intriguing paintings ever created, and not just for the smile. Learning new, long-obscured facts about her is fascinating to me. When was the last time, if ever, you took a good look at her and really noticed the background? Have you EVER looked at her face and realized that for her day she was probably very beautiful? Have you ever looked at anything DaVinci created and been awed by his amazing talent?

For the crude and unlearned television generation, Mona is just an ugly chick who couldn't smile right. But for those of us who love her and DaVinci, she is a MASTERPIECE. Unfortunately for too many today, their masterpiece comes on at 9pm on Thursdays.