Compare And Contrast The Portrait Of A Lady And Mona Lisa

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In history, there were two paintings that were very similar yet different. One was called the “Mona Lisa” which was painted by one of the most famous artists of the renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. The other painting was called “Portrait of a Lady” by the flemish artist, Van der Weyden. They both were a huge influence in the art world during their lifetimes. And even after their deaths, their lives and works continue to inspire the minds and hearts of each generation. The two art pieces are different because the Lady in the portrait is looking down, trying to avoid eye contact in order to look meek and demure. The Mona Lisa’s eyes, on the other hand, appear to follow the viewer as if it is not really looking at you, but into you, like she’s …show more content…

The Lady has a white “V” neck shaped collar while the Mona Lisa has gold trim on her square shaped collar. Mona Lisa’s dress also looks a lot more flowy and lighter while the Lady’s dress seems more layered and thicker probably due to the colder weather in northern Europe. The Lady only has a dark blue canvas for a background while the Mona Lisa has a clearly defined landscape behind her with trees, water and a dirt road. The veil that the Lady wears is made from significantly thicker cloth and wears a dark colored headband. The Mona Lisa’s veil is barely visible. The Lady has a lighter hair color and is tied up in a bun with some kind of net or cap around it with silver pins tucked into it to keep her veil in place, while Mona Lisa has her dark, wavy hair draping down her shoulders in a casual yet elegant manner. We can see the ears on the Lady, but the Mona Lisa has her ears covered by her hair. The eyes of the Lady are bright and hazel colored. Mona Lisa’s eyes are dark and you can barely see her pupils in her irises. Maybe that is how Leonardo got the effect that her eyes seem to be moving. It also appears that she has no eyebrows, or they’re severely …show more content…

Both the Lady and the Mona Lisa are white European women who came from, what looks like, higher class families who were born, bred, and educated according to the customs and standards of the era and come from privileged backgrounds. Both are wearing veils over their hair and both wearing dark colored dresses with long sleeves. Their hands are seen in both portraits, just above the waist. Both women were part of the Renaissance that affected their home regions in similar ways, the ideas going back and forth between the north and south, both influencing each other in significant

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