TRAVELERS, TRAVELERS, TRAVELERS... I am attaching a LONG article here (on August 7, 2011) ABOUT the MONA LISA painting. Since a number of you have expressed an interest in this painting, you might find this article quite intriguing.
Who Stole the Mona Lisa?
The world's most famous art heist, 100 years on.
Posted Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011, at 6:47 AM ET
--- On Monday morning, August 21 1911, inside the Louvre museum in Paris, a plumber named Sauvet came upon an unidentified man stuck in front of a locked door. The man—wearing a white smock, like all the Louvre's maintenance staff—pointed out to Sauvet that the doorknob was missing. The helpful Sauvet opened the door with his key and some pliers. The man walked out of the museum and into the Parisian heatwave. Hidden under his smock was Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Stealing "La Joconde"—the woman in the portrait is probably the Florentine silk merchant's wife Lisa del Giocondo—was not particularly difficult. The main thing it took was nerve. Like the Louvre's other paintings, she was barely guarded. She wasn't fixed to the wall. The Louvre was closed on Mondays. August is Paris's quietest month. On that particular Monday morning, the few caretakers were mostly busy cleaning.
At 7.20am the thief was probably hiding in the storage closet where he may have spent the night. All he had to do was wait until the elderly ex-soldier who was guarding several rooms had wandered off, then lift the frame off its hooks, remove the frame from the painting, and shove the wooden panel on which Da Vinci had painted under his smock. The thief had chosen the Mona Lisa partly because she was so small: just 53cm x 77cm. His one stumble was finding the door to his escape locked. He had already removed the doorknob with a screwdriver before the plumber arrived to save him. By 8.30am, Mona Lisa was gone.
Twelve hours later, writes the French author Jérôme Coignard in Une femme disparaît , one of several books on the crime, the caretaker in charge reported that everything was normal. Even the next morning, Tuesday, nobody had yet noticed Mona Lisa's absence. Paintings in the Louvre often disappeared briefly. The museum's photographers were free to take works to their studio at will, without signing them out.
When the painter Louis Béroud arrived in the Louvre's Salon Carré on Tuesday morning to sketch the Mona Lisa, and found only four iron hooks in the wall, he presumed the photographers had her. Béroud joked with the guard: "Of course Paupardin, when women are not with their lovers, they are apt to be with their photographers." But when Mona Lisa was still absent at 11am, Béroud sent Paupardin to ask the photographers when she would be back, recounts the American author R.A. Scotti in her excellent recent account, Vanished Smile . The photographers said they hadn't taken her and the alarm was raised. In the corner of a service stairway, police found the glass box that had contained the painting, and the frame donated two years earlier by the Comtesse de Béarn.
The newspapers put the theft on their front pages. "We still have the frame," added the Petit Parisien daily in a sarcastic strapline. Jean Théophile Homolle, director of all France's national museums, had assured the press before leaving on his summer holidays that the Louvre was secure. "You might as well pretend that one could steal the towers of the cathedral of Notre-Dame," he said. After the theft, the French journalist Francis Charmes would comment: "La Joconde was stolen because nobody believed she could be."
"Some judges regard the painting as the finest existing," noted The New York Times. But even before Mona Lisa disappeared she was more than a painting. Leonardo's feat was to have made her almost a person. "Mona Lisa is painted at eye level and almost life-size, both disconcertingly real and transcendent," writes Scotti. Many romantics responded to the picture as if to a woman.
But nobody knew who the thief was, nor how he would profit from his haul. Monsieur Bénédite, the Louvre's assistant curator, told The New York Times: "Why the theft was committed is a mystery to me, as I consider the picture valueless in the hands of a private individual." If you had the Mona Lisa, what could you do with her?
The stricken Louvre closed for a week, but when it reopened, on Tuesday August 29, queues formed outside for the first time ever. People were streaming in to see the empty space where Mona Lisa had hung. Unwittingly, Coignard writes, the Louvre was exhibiting the first conceptual installation in the history of art: the absence of a painting.
The painting was celebrated in new popular songs ("It couldn't be stolen, we guard her all the time, except on Mondays"). Mona Lisa postcards sold in unprecedented numbers worldwide. Her face advertised everything from cigarettes ("I only smoke Zigomar") to corsets. In fact, no painting had ever previously been reproduced on such a scale. As Scotti said, she had suddenly become both "high culture" and "a staple of consumer culture." The Dutch painter Kees van Dongen was one of the few to puncture the hype: "She has no eyebrows and a funny smile. She must have had nasty teeth to smile so tightly."
. . .
The French police were under international pressure to find the thief. All they had to go on was a fingerprint he had left on the wall, and the doorknob he had thrown into a ditch outside. Sauvet, the plumber who had let him out, was shown countless photographs of Louvre employees past and present, but could not recognise the thief. Employees and ex-employees were interrogated and fingerprinted—a newfangled technique in 1911—but nobody's print matched the thief's.
Eventually the police gave up.... In December 1912 the Louvre hung a portrait by Raphael on its blank wall. The Mona Lisa had been given up for dead.
The world had mostly forgotten her when on November 29 1913 an antique dealer in Florence named Alfredo Geri received a letter postmarked Poste Restante, Place de la République, Paris. The author, who signed himself "Leonardo", wrote: "The stolen work of Leonardo da Vinci is in my possession. It seems to belong to Italy since its painter was an Italian."
Geri showed the letter to Giovanni Poggi, director of Florence's Uffizi gallery. Then Geri replied to "Leonardo." After some toing-and-froing, "Leonardo" said it would be no trouble for him to bring the painting to Florence. Geri's shop was just a few streets from where Da Vinci had painted the Mona Lisa 400 years before. On the evening of December 10 "Leonardo" unexpectedly walked in. He was a tiny man, just 5ft 3in tall, with a waxed moustache. When Geri asked whether his Mona Lisa was real, "Leonardo" replied that he had stolen her from the wall of the Louvre himself. He said he wanted to "return" her to Italy in exchange for 500,000 lire in "expenses." He had only 1.95 French francs in his pocket.
Geri arranged to come with Poggi to see the painting in "Leonardo's" room in the Tripoli-Italia hotel the next day. They went up to room 20 on the third floor. Leonardo locked the door, dragged a case from under his bed, rummaged in it, threw out some junk, pulled out a package, and unwrapped it to reveal the Mona Lisa.
The thief turned out to be Vincenzo Peruggia, a 32-year-old Italian who lived in Paris. He was a house painter-cum-glazier. He suffered from lead poisoning. He lived in one room at 5 rue de l'Hôpital Saint-Louis, in a neighbourhood of eastern Paris that even today, a century on, is largely immigrant and not entirely gentrified. The Mona Lisa had spent two years mostly on his kitchen table. "I fell in love with her," Peruggia said from jail, repeating the romantic cliché. The court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed him as "mentally deficient".
The French police really ought to have found him. Peruggia had briefly worked in the Louvre. In fact, he had made the Mona Lisa's glass frame—the very one he had removed that August morning. A detective had even visited his apartment, but had failed to spot the painting.
He was locked up until his trial began in Florence on June 4 1914. Questioned by police, journalists, and later in court, Peruggia gave varying contradictory accounts of how exactly he had got in and out of the Louvre. He had walked out, carrying the painting, "with the greatest nonchalance", he told the court. He said he had initially got on the wrong bus, and had finally taken the Mona Lisa home in a taxi.
Under questioning, Peruggia emerged as the kind of disgruntled immigrant who in a different time and a different place might have turned to terrorism instead of art theft. In Paris he had often been insulted as a "macaroni." French people had stolen from him, and put salt and pepper in his wine. When he had mentioned to a colleague at the Louvre that the museum's most esteemed paintings were Italian, the colleague had chuckled.
Peruggia had once seen a picture of Napoleon's troops carting stolen Italian art to France. He said he had become determined to return at least one stolen painting, the handily portable Mona Lisa, to Italy. In fact, he was labouring under a gargantuan misapprehension: the French hadn't stolen the Mona Lisa at all. Da Vinci had spent his final years in France. His last patron, the French king François I, had bought the painting, apparently legally, for 4,000 gold crowns.
Peruggia received a sentence of one year and 15 days in jail. Some weeks later, on July 29, it was reduced to seven months and nine days. He was released at once because of time served.
By then, in any case, the world had bigger things to worry about. While Peruggia was on trial, the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand had been assassinated in Sarajevo. On July 28 Austro-Hungary had declared war on Serbia. The Great War was starting. The theft and return of Mona Lisa was one of the last happy stories Europe would enjoy for another 30 years.
It's not that the Mona Lisa is better than the museum's other paintings. The point is that they are paintings and she is a person. That's partly because of Da Vinci's genius, and partly because of the myth that has grown up around her. It's often said, for instance, that wherever you stand in front of the Mona Lisa, her eyes will follow you. Sassoon writes: "In reality the effect can be obtained from any portrait."
Her myth stems, in part, from the story of her theft and return. "A painting had been turned, anthropomorphically, into a person, a celebrity," says Sassoon. Peruggia, by choosing Mona Lisa that morning, helped elevate her above all other paintings. That—and a good story—is his legacy.
HERE ENDS THE ARTICLE ADDED ON AUGUST 7, 2011 about the 1911 THEFT of Mona Lisa.
Her myth stems, in part, from the story of her theft and return. "A painting had been turned, anthropomorphically, into a person, a celebrity," says Sassoon. Peruggia, by choosing Mona Lisa that morning, helped elevate her above all other paintings. That—and a good story—is his legacy.
HERE ENDS THE ARTICLE ADDED ON AUGUST 7, 2011 about the 1911 THEFT of Mona Lisa.
I HAVE ADDED THIS PART on July 21. A few of you have brought up the Mona Lisa paintig by DaVinci. I think that you will find THE FOLLOWING link quite impressive. BE PATIENT with the time it takes to "load" the different features on this link. THE LINK IS from the Louvre -- in Paris, France. That's the art museum which "houses" the Mona Lisa. THIS LINK IS really something. I just found it today. Enjoy! AM
WE ARE NOT GOING to Paris, of course, but this link from the Louvre really gives detailed information about one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous works!
Travelers: There is SO MUCH information to share about the "treasures" of Florence.
Let's start with this "term" ...
Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related mural paintings types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco [afˈfresːko] which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes were often made during the Renaissance and other early time periods.
Fresco -- a painting, done on plaster
Think of Michelangelo! Think of Leonardo da Vinci! Think of Raphael! Think of Donatello!
(No, not the Ninja Turtles - the Renaissance painters!)
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Hi Travelers,
FLORENCE, ITALY! Can you even imagine living in Florence during the Renaissance Period?
TRYING TO CATEGORIZE comments about Florence, Italy, is really a challenge!
When I think of Florence, I think ... ART, FAMOUS ARTISTS, ARCHITECTURE, THE DUOMO (a.k.a. The Dome!)
The architectural "plans" for how to build this dome made the architect - Brunelleschi - a big name in Renaissance Florence. He won a contest for submitting these plans, and his architectural accomplishment has stood as one of the most famous of landmarks in Florence since that time!
Look at a picture of "The Duomo" by clicking on the link below:
The link below in blue gives an overview of Florence. This link includes some video clips as well.
Take time to view and ponder! [In the article you'll discover by clicking on the link below, YOU WILL FIND THE NAME "Brunelleschi." Click on that name, and you'll find more information about the man who build The Duomo - Filippo Brunelleschi!]
http://en.firenze-online.com/visit/
ARTISTS OF FLORENCE, ITALY:
HERE IS A LINK ABOUT the painter BOTTICELLI:
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/botticelli/
FLORENCE VIDEO: (includes the Ghiberti DOORS and the DUOMO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdQ8k4C8-LQ
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HERE'S A QUIZ FOR FUN:
See if you can match these artists with their artwork...
1. Michelangelo a. (painting) "The Birth of Venus"
2. Leonardo da Vinci b. (sculpture) the doors of the Baptistry in Florence
3. Brunelleschi c. (sculpture) the white marble statue of David
4. Dante d. (poetry) The Divine Comedy
(a.k.a. The Inferno, The Purgatorio, The Paradisio)
5. Botticelli e. (painting) "The Last Supper"
6. Ghiberti f. (architecture) The Duomo
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SCROLL down below for the answers!
Here are some Italian phrases.
# 1: Buon appetito!
(pronunciation = bwohn ahp-peh-tee-toh)
[The underlined syllable is the ACCENTED syllable.]
Meaning: Enjoy the meal!
# 2 Parla inglese?
(pronunciation = pahr-lah een-gleh-zeh)
Meaning: Do you speak English?
ANSWERS TO THE ARTISTS' QUIZ ABOVE:
1. c
2. e
3. f
4. d
5. a
6. b
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Spend some time reading about the artists on this website below for sure! BE SURE that in addition to looking at the famous names which you recognize (DaVinci and Michelangelo, for example) you also look at OTHERS too. Ghiberti is very famous for the DOORS to the Baptistry. Learn all you can.
HERE IS A LINK ABOUT MICHELANGELO:
(Learn to spell his name, please!)
http://www.aboutflorence.com/Itineraries-in-Florence/michelangelo.html (Learn to spell his name, please!)
HERE IS A LINK ABOUT the painter BOTTICELLI:
FLORENCE VIDEO: (includes the Ghiberti DOORS and the DUOMO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdQ8k4C8-LQ
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HERE'S A QUIZ FOR FUN:
See if you can match these artists with their artwork...
1. Michelangelo a. (painting) "The Birth of Venus"
2. Leonardo da Vinci b. (sculpture) the doors of the Baptistry in Florence
3. Brunelleschi c. (sculpture) the white marble statue of David
4. Dante d. (poetry) The Divine Comedy
(a.k.a. The Inferno, The Purgatorio, The Paradisio)
5. Botticelli e. (painting) "The Last Supper"
6. Ghiberti f. (architecture) The Duomo
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SCROLL down below for the answers!
ITALIAN LANGUAGE LESSONS!
Here are some Italian phrases.
# 1: Buon appetito!
(pronunciation = bwohn ahp-peh-tee-toh)
[The underlined syllable is the ACCENTED syllable.]
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# 2 Parla inglese?
(pronunciation = pahr-lah een-gleh-zeh)
Meaning: Do you speak English?
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# 3 Mi sono perso/persa.
[If you are a male, you say "perso." If you are a female, you say "persa."]
[If you are a male, you say "perso." If you are a female, you say "persa."]
(pronunciation = mee soh-noh pehr-soh / perh-sah)
Meaning: I'm lost.
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# 4 Andiamo!
(pronunciation = ahn-dyah-moh)
(pronunciation = ahn-dyah-moh)
Meaning: Come on, let's go!
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# 5 Si prega di spegnere i cellulari.
(pronunciation = see preh-gah dee speh-nyeh-reh ee chehl-loo-lah-ree)
(pronunciation = see preh-gah dee speh-nyeh-reh ee chehl-loo-lah-ree)
Meaning: Please turn off your cell phones.
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PRACTICE THESE EXPRESSIONS AROUND YOUR FRIENDS! NOTICE HOW MUCH SOME OF THESE WORDS LOOK LIKE SPANISH WORDS, (and even like English words! )
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ANSWERS TO THE ARTISTS' QUIZ ABOVE:
1. c
2. e
3. f
4. d
5. a
6. b
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