Leonardo and the Mona Lisa Story: The History of a Painting Told in Pictures

By Donald Sassoon

Book Overview

We’ve all seen that famous smile a thousand times. It graces the face of La Gioconda, or the Mona Lisa, created by Leonardo da Vinci around 1505. Five centuries later, her mysterious smile has reached... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585678406
• ISBN13: 9781585678402
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Overlook Press
• Length: 349 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

4.5 stars -- Mona Lisa like never before

The Mona Lisa is, of course, one of the most famous paintings in the world. But how much do you really know about it? I've seen it in books, I've seen it on TV and I've seen it live (nearly alone right after museum opening and later in the day, packed in with the masses so I could experience their reactions). Despite all this previous exposure, Sassoon makes me see it fresh again and more acutely than ever before. Maybe it's because, with his guidance, I see it in historical perspective -- there are many fine photos (whole, detail and comparative, showing other works that preceded it). Or maybe it's because with just a few pages of text for each section, he educates my eye and makes it a better observer. Whatever his trick, it works very well. You could probably get something on the Mona Lisa that's cheaper, but certainly not better if you wish to experience it the way people did in the 1500s.

Sfumato Lisa !!

Surely not as prolific a painter as many others none-the-less Leonardo da Vinci painted two of the world's five most famous paintings; 'The Last Supper' and 'Mona Lisa'. This book thoughtfully presents the history, technique, and all the trivia regarding 'Mona Lisa'. One would think that the dimentions of this colossus would be larger than 21 X 30". But thats what Leonardo chose. Why would it take him 3+ years to paint? Why would he paint it on perilously thin poplar wood? How did he achieve that divine smile? Here is presented the answers and history of this iconic painting. From it's benign renaissance beginning through it's establishment as a masterpiece and onto it's becoming a phenomenon. August 1911 the 'Mona Lisa' was no longer in the Louvre. "The Theft of the Century" is a most captivating chapter The history is followed nicely by copious reproductions of the painting and it's contemporaries along with photos from 1911-2006 of events and key characters. Many modern renditions by the likes of Warhol, Dali, Dubuffet, Masson, etc. are included. A well thought out and wonderfully presented history of this global icon. Donald Sasson is a leading expert on the 'Mona Lisa'. This edition is more user friendly (for the masses) compared to his more academic other version.