Art and culture

How the Mona Lisa Became So Overrated

Mona Lisa © Mihai Andritoiu

@myfairobserver

September 24, 2016 23:30 EDT

The adulation of the Mona Lisa tells a story about popular culture.

Anyone who ever had to endure endless queues to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa will understand this question of its popularity.

Nestled among our civilization’s most magnificent creations, the story of the world’s most famous painting is not so much a story about artistic merit, but about how art breaks into our culture.

Had Vincenzo Peruggia not lifted the painting off the Louvre wall in 1911, would the elusive smile be as enchanting today as to draw nearly 80% of all visitors to the museum just to see it?

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

Photo Credit: Mihai Andritoiu

Support Fair Observer

We rely on your support for our independence, diversity and quality.

For more than 10 years, Fair Observer has been free, fair and independent. No billionaire owns us, no advertisers control us. We are a reader-supported nonprofit. Unlike many other publications, we keep our content free for readers regardless of where they live or whether they can afford to pay. We have no paywalls and no ads.

In the post-truth era of fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles, we publish a plurality of perspectives from around the world. Anyone can publish with us, but everyone goes through a rigorous editorial process. So, you get fact-checked, well-reasoned content instead of noise.

We publish 2,500+ voices from 90+ countries. We also conduct education and training programs on subjects ranging from digital media and journalism to writing and critical thinking. This doesn’t come cheap. Servers, editors, trainers and web developers cost money.
Please consider supporting us on a regular basis as a recurring donor or a sustaining member.