Travel Snapshot – The Original Mona Lisa

I’ve finally seen it! I’ve finally seen the original painting of Mosa Lisa! A portraiture masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa is one of the reasons why I was going back to Paris and Louvre Museum. I wanted to capture it with my Nikon D60 this round on my Europe travel and I satisfactorily did.

I shot it with my Nikkor 18-55mm mid zoom hand held and this is what I have captured. The original colour vibrancy of the painting to some extends faded away eventhough several preservation and restoration works had been carried out. I decided to restore it with the latest digital technology of PhotoShop Elements8 to get back the vibrant colours of the Portrait of Mona Lisa and this is how she looks…

Ever wonder why Mona Lisa is so fascinating to talk about, eventhough it was created way back in the 16th Century during the Renaissance? Being one of the most famous painting in the world, Mona Lisa (or Lisa Gherardini) is actually not popular for her beauty. Neither is the painting. What people discuss most on the portraiture is her smile, her gesture, her eyes and off course, the painter behind, Leonardo Da Vinci. Being one of the greatest artist, sculptor, engineer, inventor, scientist, mathematician and writer in the Renaissance, portrait of Mona Lisa was one of Leanardo final arts before he died in 1519.

According to the records, Portraiture of Mona Lisa was done in the Tuscany region of Italy and eventually brought to Paris in 1516. While some believed her husband Francesco del Giocondo invited Leonardo over to have a portraiture to his wife before their marriage, others reckoned the painting was started after the delivery of their second baby.

The best discussion on Mona Lisa is her eyes which would keep looking at you at any viewing angle (though I believe all portraiture are the same ). Her smile is also arguably the best of all where the famous ‘Mona Lisa’s smile‘ is coming from.

Whatever is it, with all the stories behind the painting, Mona Lisa becomes so popular among travelers and artists from all over the world who desperately hoping to see her in person. Where is the original painting located now? She is currently being hung on the wall inside the Louvre Museum, the famous travel destination of Paris!

Don’t get so excited though. She is highly protected by security and climatic glass screen and being rail guarded with securities that visitors could only see the 77cm x 53cm painting from 20 feet far away!

But don’t get upset as well. For Europe Travel Tips of the day: Taking photos of Mona Lisa is thankfully allowed in Louvre Museum of Paris. Just remember to bring along your long zoom fast lens and you can still capture it up-close!

Follow up next would be all my even more exciting travel experience and travel stories happened on my Europe travel. If you wish to get all my story updates, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog feed via RSS Reader or email, it’s free!

I just can’t wait to show more of my photos taken during the trip! See Ya! – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog.