Head of a Woman
This painting is called The head of a Woman also known as La Scapigliata, meaning disheveled. Leonardo da Vinci, a very talented artist before his own time, created this work of art during the renaissance. During that time woman did not have as much power as they do today. He created this image to showcase that woman were more than just mothers and wives. He decided to draw a woman with uncombed hair and no make up displaying a woman’s natural beauty. He used soft lines which came off elegantly showing emotions of a woman that were not being acknowledged. This painting played a significant role in the feminism movement. This is an example of art not having to be created by a woman to have a feminist analysis. Now we have camera’s and I can take a photo of myself showing off my natural beauty with a prouder look on my face because of Leonardo da Vinci setting the tone for woman in The Head of a Woman.
Portrait of Personal Items
- White rose petal pillow-A rose is my favorite flower. It is considered a symbol of balance. The beauty of this flower expresses promise, hope, and new beginnings. It is contrasted by thorns symbolizing defense, loss, and thoughtlessness. Which symbolizes the rough times I have had in life and have put all that to rest, bringing attention to the beauty of myself, that you don’t even notice the rough part that were apart of my growth. The white color represent purity which I can feel pure again once I dead bad things.
- Book-I have not always known how to but it has always been an aspiration to be happy and a good person. Speaking with god throughout the day has helped me tremendously. Every night I read a chapter in this book which helps me become even better.
- sunglasses-I found these sunglasses the other day. It was something I wanted but it was to expensive for me to purchase. I waited for someone to come and claim them for weeks and no one has so i took them. I am a strong believer in when you really want something the universe conspires in your favor. An example of how the universe feeds off your spirit.
- laptop-I do everything with this laptop. It is used on an everyday basis. It was a item very costly that I bought with my own hard earned money because i knew it would be reliable. It inspires me to go hard in school which will make it worth every penny once i graduate.
- picture of mom and sister-I grew up in a single parent home with just me, my mom and my sister in Miami, Fl. Being away now in Atlanta, Ga, pictures are how i keep them close. The picture i have of my sister in her graduation cap makes me want to graduate because my sister did all while raising a child.
- shoes-These aren’t any old heels, these are Christian Louboutin’s. That brand is a luxurious one, this represents the side of me that likes nice things.
- furniture-the furniture in the background plays a significant role because someone i love dearly bought it for me and they have inspired me to be the woman I am today.
- reflection of myself in mirror with phone-This picture is a reflection of me so i literally incorporated a reflection of myself with my phone because that is also something that is important to me.
A “Thousand” Words
There is a lady seated with a smirk on her face. she is peeking out the corner of her eyes. Her hair is flat at the top, parted in the middle of her head hanging shoulder length curly. She is sitting in a chair side ways but her body is turned towards the viewer of the painting. She has on drape clothes, there is a cloth over her head covering half of her hair. There is also a background of water and some land with trees and sand.
They are not able to determine the history of the Mona Lisa painting but suggest it may have been paint between 1509-1519. It is believed to be a painting of wife of the wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Gioconda. History has been unable to determine for what reason this painting was made. Either it was from a time where her husband got a painting drawn by Leonardo da Vinci marking the time they purchased a new house. Another time would be from when they lost a daughter in 1499, which would explain the dark veil she is wearing in the picture representing her mourning. A second theory suggest that the artist painting was, in fact, Leonardo’s self-portrait, given the resemblance between the sitter’s and the artist’s facial features. Some scholars suggested that disguising himself as a woman was the artist’s riddle. The sitter’s identity has not been conclusively proven.
I think the artist was paid to paint this picture because of his artistic creativity. He did not just look at the model and simply paint her he put thought into the background of Lisa’s life and added significance to the picture. The smirk on her face represents happiness which is also incorporated with her last name’s italian meaning. I had no personal reason for not liking the picture. I just did not understand why this picture of a stale faced woman was so valued in this lifetime.
Even though is a mystery of what this image represents which I find very fascinating. I believe when other people may have looked at this picture back in that time, they may have thought this painting was so close to reality. After reading about the painting I have learned that the artist put more thought into painting her than just exactly what he seen. I could see why this would be such a recognized image even in today’s time. If someone were to paint a picture of me i would want details that relate to me close to what Leonardo incorporated in “Mona Lisa”.