Mona Lisa will be on view at the Palais de la Bourse, 9 La Canebière, 13001, Marseille, March 10 – August 21, 2022.
The Mona Lisa is back, but this time she may be displayed a bit differently than how we are used to seeing the brown-eyed beauty.
It will be a permanent space dedicated to immersive digital art as part of a new renovation, hoping that a new strand of multimedia exhibitions will tap into a growing global market.
Just like the Van Gogh immersive experience where art lovers and enthusiasts alike get to physically walk through a projected version of his starry night’s, we can now walk into Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa’s smile.
After hearing the news of the new project underway, I couldn’t quite picture how it would work. With Van Gogh, it would be easy to see how one could get lost in his exquisite landscapes, but stepping into the Mona Lisa would be quite something.
Throughout history, people have always been fixated on her allure. Some say that she had a “treacherous attraction” or a pair of “mocking lips” and a “gazing promising unknown pleasure”.
Da Vinci started the portrait in 1503 at a Florentine businessman who wanted a picture of his wife, – Lisa Gherardini. He continued working on the painting for more than ten years, but it was unfinished when he died.
Over his lifetime, Da Vinci conducted groundbreaking studies on human optics, which led him to pioneer specific artistic techniques. For example, he made images at great distances hazier by using atmospheric perspective, producing the illusion of profound depth.
He also used various techniques to soften objects or people he depicted. So yes, it is considered a wonderful portrait but one among many.
The fame of the Mona Lisa excelled way beyond its frame due to the powerful form of communication – word of mouth. Today it is also one of the most commercial portraits around.
Thousands of visitors line up daily to look at the masterpiece that has been carefully kept for centuries.
And now they can – but this time even more up close and personal—almost eye-watering close.