Art

Art is a big part of world culture.  People are spending tens of millions of dollars on paintings by famous artists.  I knew many of the paintings by sight, and some of the figures depicted in the works are a huge part of pop culture.  So who were some of these people?  I decided to do a little research and see if I could come up with the answers for some of the most famous painting with semi-mysterious subjects.  The last two I couldn’t find proof of a specific person, so I took the most likely and logical theory.  Enjoy…

Mona Lisa … By Leonardo da Vinci
Arguably the most famous painting in the world, the identity of the subject is a topic under much debate.  Some have said that it was painted in the likeness of da Vinci’s mother.  Others have speculated that da Vinci used himself as the base for the figure. 

 While no one knows for sure, the most likely explanation is that the woman is Lisa del Giocondo, who was the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant and for whom the painting was commissioned.

America Gothic … by Grant Wood
 American Gothic is a famous painting that was created in 1930.  Wood entered the  painting in in a competition at the Art Institute of Chicago, winning the bronze medal. Since it came out at the onset of the Great Depression, it was viewed by many as a symbol of the steadfast American spirit. Many saw it as a struggling farmer and his wife who refuse to give up. The woman is actually Wood’s sister. The man, his dentist.

A few more here

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