As a kid, I was compelled to create. I was the shy kid in the back of the class, making detailed drawings on the back of my assignment papers. I had to draw, all the time. It was a compulsion. Fortunately in 7th grade I had an art teacher who recognized this as a talent, and told me I was an artist. I began to read biographies of Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Da Vinci. It was such a huge relief to know that throughout history, there were others who had that compulsion to make art. I found great comfort in studying their artwork.
Years later when I began to experience their masterpieces in person, these visits to museums were extremely emotional epiphanies. The first time I saw the Mona Lisa at The Louvre was in the late 80s, when she was still in a small dark room and you could walk right up to her, just hanging there on the wall like the Raphaels and other paintings in the room. I stood there for a very long time, somehow realizing that it was a once-in-a-lifetime intimate interaction with the enigmatic portrait. The last few times I visited her, it was in a huge room with a thousand people all taking photos of her with their phones. I am happy that she continues to serenely smile and inspire so many others, but in my heart she is still my Mona Lisa, who smiled at me in that small side gallery.
Today of course, she is considered to be an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci’s favorite painting has been described as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”.
We have just received the Leonardo da Vinci collection from Kaufman Fabrics, and I am delighted to have her serene smile on the shelves when I walk through the warehouse this week. The photo of the street artist was taken in Florence in front of the Duomo on a trip to Italy.
with hope for the future…
Luana and Paul
Online Lecture Calendar:
Jan 29 – Sandra Meech Interview – Visions Art Museum “Season Pass” – Arctic Quilts and my Polar Bear photos.
Feb 13 – Canadian Quilters Association – “Intl Quilt Trends” – registration open now to CQA members – tickets open to public Feb 8.
Feb 21 – The Condor & The Eagle – Film Screening for eQuilter
Early March – SAQA Color Trend Interview with Martha Sielman
Share Post:
