Applying paint in thin layers that almost make the painting glow,
Leonardo somehow captured the character of his subject, Lisa
del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine businessman.
Her smile is the most intriguing part of the painting. It is one of the
only smiles in the history of art to be described as "mysterious." Is
it a fleeting smile captured by the artist, or a knowing, timeless,
symbolic smile?
And the haunting, subtle smile is not something that Da Vinci
accidentally captured on his canvas. He wanted it there. And to
make sure it wouldn't fade, he had beautiful music played during
the sittings.