Giocondaphilia
Copyright ©David G. Wilson
Oil on canvas, 1982; Collection of the artist.
Warning
These paintings and text are published via this medium only for the intellectual edification of the general public . No unauthorized commercial use is allowed without expressed written permission.
In his "Treatise on Painting", Leonardo da Vinci advised artists that they could enhance their creative faculties by closely studying stains on the wall and therein they would perceive a plethora of images that could enhance their compositions. I therefore set out to unearth the mystery of
*La Gioconda which revealed to me the landscape that Leonardo frequently advocated as background for a portrait. I simply blended her into her own background landscape. I have lately discovered a completely new image hidden within her features. I have also seen a third such interpretation by a Mexican artist, Octavio Ocampo. His version appeared in the January 1995 issue of 'Artist magazine.'For 500 years, viewers have tried to attach various interpretations to her enigmatic smile. Leonardo was a genius who was capable of multiple intent in this enigmatic painting. More recently, Mrs. Lillian Schwartz concluded,as a result of her computer research, that Leonardo's intent was to combine his own portrait with that of Lisa del Giocondo. Although I respectfully concur, I do not believe that there is a limit to the extent of perceptive interpretation applicable to that picture. I opine that interpretations are limited only by the extent of the viewer's imagination.