Mona Lisa

I asked a friend why the Mona Lisa was soooo obsessed over at the Louvre, and I was told it was because it was the piece of that was referenced so much in popular culture, in books, in movies, etc.  Everyone, all over the world, knows about the Mona Lisa.  This makes me feel a little better than thinking it is simply because everyone wants to know why she’s grinning.

It looks like the most popular piece of art in the entire Louvre.  It is roped off and behind a thick piece of glass.  It seemed a little overrated to me.  Behind all of the people with their camera phones and cameras is a huge painting- The Last Supper, which I am much more fond of.  I did enjoy watching all these people push and shove to get their photo of the tiny Mona Lisa.

The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world.  I can see why-really impressive stuff, so many masterpieces together in one place.   The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Phillip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible.  In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.^   During the French Revolution, it was decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation’s masterpieces. The Louvre has been through a lot of World History.  The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

I’ll leave you with this song by Nat King Cole. I love it.