Modern Mona Lisa

LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519)

Mona Lisa, 1503-1517

Pronounced: Da-Vin-chi

Art Period: Renaissance

Activity: Pastel

Materials: Paper, Oil Pastels

(adapted for use at George Kelly from this original link )

Meet the Artist: Find a brief biography of Da Vinci here. He was considered by many to be the most creative and intelligent man who ever lived.

Discussion: Look at the Mona Lisa (slideshow here) and ask the discussion questions: 1. What do you see? 2. What more can you find? 3. What makes you say that?

Deepen the discussion by bringing in these points: Proportion: Focus on her face and note the proportions of her face (doing this will help when the kids do the project). Draw on board an egg-shaped oval and then draw a horizontal line right through the middle.  Compare it to the Mona Lisa and ask the kids what goes in that middle spot? (the eyes... most kids want to draw the eyes where the forehead should be. You can have them put their hands on the top of their head and their chins, and then feel how their eyes are actually right in the middle of their heads, too). The bottom of the nose is half way between the eyes and the chin - and then the bottom of the mouth is half way between that space. Another interesting thing to point out is hairlines. The tendency is to draw hair right at the top of the head but the hair line is usually a bit above the eyebrows. The Mona Lisa actually has a really high hairline because during the Renaissance a large forehead was considered very beautiful - in fact, women would pluck their hair to make the hairline higher.

Maybe for older grades: Beauty: The Mona Lisa has been seen throughout history (since it was made) as the epitome of beauty. Do you think she is the most beautiful woman ever? What makes someone seem beautiful? How do perceptions of beauty change over time and vary in different civilizations?

Activity: Hand out large drawing paper and have students lightly draw an egg-shaped oval, and proceed to make their own reproduction of the Mona Lisa – except how they think she would be dressed/coiffed today. Add color with oil pastels. Have the students really take their time and visually develop the background, etc.

Student Work: