To access the Subscribers Only page at http://www.impressionist-art-gallery.com

This month's password is: smile

I'm not really a big reader of fiction but I've been interested in the best selling book The Da Vinci Code ever since it came out.

To my delight, the film version is released later this month and I can't wait! This story has caused quite a lot of up-roar with some people including the churches. Whatever your personal view on this story, we can't escape the simple fact that Leonardo da Vinci was a master genius.

And because his mega famous Mona Lisa is not Impressionism, the release of The Da Vinci Code movie, gives me the perfect excuse to include it here as our "painting of the month".

The Mona Lisa is famous all over the world for her enigmatic smile and for being one of the few paintings by the most esteemed of the Renaissance masters, Leonardo da Vinci.

When the Sforzas fell, Leonardo returned to Florance for a few years. Around 1503, according to Vasari, da Vinci was commissioned by a rich Florentine, Francesco del Giocondo, to do a portrait of his young and beautiful wife, Mona Lisa.

“But, having worked at it for four years, he left it unfinished”, commented his pessimistic biographer. Indeed, Leonardo must have considered the portrait unfinished because he took it with him to France, with other works, instead of sending it to the man who had commissioned it and presumably paid for it.

This opens the thorny question of the “Mona Lisa” or the “Gioconda”. Is it really the portrait of the 26-year-old consort of Francesco del Gioconda? Adolfo Venturi asserts that the lady portrayed is Costanza d’ Avolos, Duchess of Francavilla, “in the beautiful black veil of a window”.

Another critic asserts that it is a mysterious Neapolitan lady whose portrait was painted for Giuliano de Medici, who left the painting in Leonardo’s possession so as not to upset his recent bride, Philiberta of Savoy, with a reminder of his former loves.

Some have even ventured the hypothesis that the Mona Lisa is the portrait of a man in disguise.

In short, a romantic story has been woven around this enigmatic painting. It has inspired writers and poets. Gabriele d’Annunzio, in the tale of The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa, took as a starting point its theft from the Louvre in 1911 by an Italian mason and imagined an “impossible” love.

But what are the facts?

Actually Vasari wrote only on hearsay and described the painting without ever having seen it. He went on at great length to give a realistic description, not omitting praise for Gioconda’s eyelashes, “which were uncommonly thick”. Unfortunately Mona Lisa didn’t have any; in those days woman shaved their eyelashes.

Actually, Mona Lisa is anything but realistic. She is bathed in a liquid atmosphere of muted blue-greens. Behind her opens a dream landscape of mountain peaks, water and mists. These are the elements that make this famous painting the masterpiece of the “sfumato” style – a blending of vague colors and shades to give a misty appearance.

On Leonardo’s death, the painting was acquired by Francis I for 4,000 ducats.

This month I have decided to offer you a reproduction in oils of The Mona Lisa for a special price AND you can choose ANY Impressionist oil reproduction by ANY artist in ANY size - free of charge!

No catch. This offer is for Subscribers Only. And for this month only.

So if you would like to own a museum quality reproduction of Da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa visit the Subscribers Only page at:

http://www.impressionist-art-gallery.com/world_of_impressionism.html

Password= smile

*****************************************

A painting of the cafe owner from Arles, Madame Ginoux has made $40.3 million USD at a Christies art auction in New York recently. The 1890 painting by Vincent van Gogh was expected to reach between $40 and $50 million.

The work was extensively marketed to major art collectors around the world, but there was only two bidders fighting over the rare portrait by the Dutchman.

So, in an absurd kind of way, it was probably a bargain for such an important work. I should of put in a bid! ;-) In 1990 Van Gogh's "Dr. Gachet" went for $82.5 million.

There were 50 works in the Christies sale, with only seven not finding a new home. Which means that 43 modern and impressionist paintings sold for $180.2 million.

Coming Soon...

Artists coming soon to the Impressionist Art Gallery include:

Berth Morisot

Georges Seurat

James Whistler

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

and Mary Cassatt

For my UK subscribers, tune into BBC 1 on Sunday (6:25pm) to see the new Drama series - The Impressionists.

This drama is based on the history of the Impressionists, and documents their lives and paintings as an acted out documentary.

Have a good month...

Paul Williams

For more information and to order an oil painting reproduction of Mona Lisa go to the Subscribers Only Page at www.impressionist-art-gallery.com

Click Here To Go To The Subscribers Only Page

The Password for April is: smile

If the above link doesn't work, copy and paste the address direct into your browser:

http://www.impressionist-art-gallery.com/world_of_impressionism.html

Password= smile