When someone says "painting," one usually imagines Mona Lisa. And not without a reason. Mona Lisa is well known for her enigmatic smile, monumental composition, and famous author, of course. The painting is likely of the Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, hence the alternative name "La Gioconda." It took da Vinci about 3 years to complete it, and he finished it in about 1506. It's been described by John Lichfield as the "best known, the most visited, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world." The last part is the most relevant in today's post.
