V. Read and retell the text:

When we speak about a painting we may analyze it according to the following outline:

1. The general effect. (The title and the name of the artist. The period or trend represented.)

2. The genre of the painting.

3. The subject matter of the painting.

4. The plot of the picture.

5. The contents of the picture. (Place, time and setting). The age and physical appearance of the sitter. The accessories, the dress and environment.

6. Artistic means. (The composition and colouring. How is the sitter represented? Against what background? Do the hands (head, body) look natural and informal? How do the eyes gaze? Does the painter concentrate on the analysis of details? What tints predominate in the colour scheme? Are the brushstrokes left visible?)

7. Interpretation and evaluation. (Does it exemplify a high degree of artistic skill? What feelings, moods or ideas does it evoke in the viewer?)

Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), is a 16^th century oil painting by Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian painter, sculptor, architect, famed for the breadth of his genius. It is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1502 (during the Italian Renaissance) and completed it in four years. From the very beginning it was greatly admired and much copied and it came to be considered the prototype of the Renaissance portrait. Nowadays Da Vinci’s masterpiece is housed at the Louvre in Paris.

The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer’s with an expression often described as enigmatic. This figure of a woman, dressed in the Florentine fashion of her day and seated in a visionary, mountainous landscape, is a remarkable instance of Leonardo’s sfumato technique. It consists in a gradual dissolving of the forms themselves, continuous interaction of light and shade and an uncertain sense of the time of day. The sensuous curves of the woman’s hair and clothing are echoed in the imaginary valleys and rivers behind her.

Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. The woman sits upright with her arms folded that form the front corner of the pyramid. Such a position of arms is a sign of her reserved posture. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that softly models her hands. Her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to a silent communication. The graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and the feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo’s style. The brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements: hair, veil, shadows. The composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature.

The secret of her smile is in the dynamic position of Mona Lisa’s facial muscles. This smile has repeatedly been a subject of many interpretations by art critics. The slight opening of the lips at the corners of the mouth was considered in that period a sign of elegance. So, this smile enters into the gentle, delicate atmosphere pervading the whole painting. The Mona Lisa’s enigmatic expression has given the portrait universal fame.

The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting — especially apparent in the sitter’s faint smile — reflects Leonardo’s idea of the cosmic link connecting humanity and nature, making this painting an enduring record of Leonardo’s vision and genius.

Speaking about a sculpture we can analyze it according to the following plan:

1. The name of the sculptor, his epoch, and the movement he belonged to.

2. The title of the sculpture, its destination.

3. The description of the sculpture, its theme and idea.

4. The importance of the sculpture.

5. Your impressions.

Michelangelo Buonarrotti, sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the Renaissance, was also a great citizen and a humanist to whom humanism was the very essence of life; a man who defended man’s freedom and dignity with chisel, brush and pen.

The perfection of his sculptures, murals and architecture astonished people far and wide.

However, the perfection of form, the colour scheme and the composition were not Michelangelo’s aim as such. In some of his later works the master rejected finishing touches or enriching textures. Even today this lack of finish, or “incompleteness”, remains the subject of study and debate.

Michelangelo’s celebrated sculptural group “The Pieta” (1498–1500) at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome has an aura of deep sorrow about it. The mother holds the body of her dead son on her knees, her head is bent low in grief.

A restrained gesture of her hand conveys her profound grief. Although placing the body of a grown man on the Madonna’s knees presented certain problems, the great master resolved them by means of a careful arrangement of the falling draperies, which emphasize the femininity of her image. And the heavy fabric of her mantle falling to the ground forms something like a pedestal supporting the body of Christ. Striving for the utmost clarity and simplicity, Michelangelo like Leonardo Da Vinci chose a pyramidal composition. This sculpture group is made of one piece of marble. The sculpture is very moving; it expresses ordinary human emotions, which are rendered with moving sincerity.