Fascinating insight into probably the most famous painting in the world, and how different ages have interpreted the sitter and given the portrait particular significance. Especially interesting are photographs of Mona Lisa cartoons and ephemera, which enable you to realise exactly how overexposed this image is. This doesn't really focus overmuch on the different theories about the creation of the painting - there are ample other places to look for those. It's about how the painting has been displayed, criticised, reacted to, stolen and turned into a global icon. A biography of a work of art whose history - dare I say it - is far more intriguing than the painting itself. The mystery is not the smile, but why it has affected generations of people so powerfully. This book won't do anything to reduce the Mona Lisa hype, but it does at least allow us to put in context. ( )

El autor nos narra cómo llegó a ser este cuadro de Leonardo, la más famosa de las pinturas de todos los tiempos. En la época en que se pintó sólo era reconocida como un buen retrato, sólo con el paso de los siglos pasó de ser un icono de la alta pintura en circulos intelectuales y artísticos, a pasar a ser una figura reconocible entre las masas.
El autor nos va mostrando desde las dudas acerca de la identidad de la mujer retratada, a como en el siglo XIX los poetas la convirtiesen en una mujer misteriosa, o en el eterno femenino idealizado.
Una buena historia cultural. ( )