One of the most well known paintings in the world is The Mona Lisa. Da Vinci's masterpiece was painted on a wood panel using oil paint, as most of his paintings were. A panel is a form of wood that the artist would use as his canvas/painting surface. Other forms of panel that were popular during Da Vinci's time were made from oak, beech, willow, and pine just to name a few. While the actual date he painted this is unknown, it is believed that it was painted between the years of 1503-1506. The first thing I notice when observing the painting is the warm hue of yellow shades of being used. The yellow shows the most intensity/saturation within the subject's face, which gets my attention first. I can see that the same color is used throughout the painting, but the value and intensity is used less in the background and surrounding areas to separate one another. That gives the portrait the perfect balance to make everything go hand in hand and gives what I feel is unity. What fascinates me most about this painting is how realistic the subject looks. The intensity of the colors seem to fade into a grey shade around her face to give the illusion that she is three dimensional and to make her facial features stand out.
While browsing through more of da Vinci's work I came across his piece that's titled, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. This too, is an oil painting on wood. I've found several different dates that state when he painted this, so according to what I've researched it was painted between the years of 1506-1510. Rather than being drawn to the subject(s) first as I had when observing The Mona Lisa, I find myself being more drawn to scenery in the background. I take notice of the movement within the mountains. They become less visible as if you were staring into a far distance with the naked eye. While The Mona Lisa's background also has that in common I feel that the value/contrast of colors with the lighter background and the subjects clothing in this painting make it more noticeable. Before I shift my focus to the subjects I find myself looking at the dark colored tree off to the right. It's such a simple object, yet it separates the background from the foreground with it's darker value in color. What gives the painting its balance is that the the artist adds a similar color shade to an article of clothing that is also used in the mountains viewed in the background, however the red and yellow colors used seem to keep them from blending together. Another comparison with Da Vinci's subjects in a lot of paintings is that he gives them a three dimensional appearance by shading their facial features and using organic shapes.
The last piece of art I found and coincidentally thought to be his last masterpiece is titled, St. John the Baptist, created between the years of 1513-1516. This oil on wood painting shares the similarity of the warm colored hue of yellow that's used in The Mona Lisa. What appears quite different than the last two paintings I presented is the huge contrast between the background, which has a much darker value than the subject. The contour lines have been used to show emphasis on how the subject is being posed. This is a perfect example when studying lines because it's such a close up and detailed portrait. Again, the features are so realistic with the details showing the creases in his turning neck and the curls in his hair, which would be an example of of rhythm and pattern. While I enjoy each one of these paintings and The Mona Lisa is my favorite, I think this would be my second favorite piece of work. It's similar yet so different because the subject's features have so much more detail.
