Question

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most well-known figures of the Italian Renaissance. In fact, adept as a painter,

sculptor, architect, inventor, engineer, and draftsman, da Vinci epitomizes the “Renaissance man.” His artistic
work was informed by his scientific studies and keen observations of nature. Though best known as a painter,
we have only a few dozen paintings that can be attributed to him. His bestknown works include the “The Last

Supper” and the “Mona Lisa.”


“The Last Supper” was commission by Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, in 1495, to grace the back wall
of a monastery dining hall. da Vinci worked for three years on the painting, which shows the moment when

Jesus tells the Twelve Apostles that one of them will soon betray him. Because daVinci used tempera and oil
on dried plaster, instead of the conventional fresco on plaster, the painting has deteriorated considerably over
time. It was further damaged by improper attempts at restoration. Modern conversation techniques, however,

have allowed the painting to be stabilized.


Eight years later, da Vinci began his best-known painting, the “Mona Lisa,” done in da Vinci’s sfumato
technique, in which subtle gradations, rather than strict borders, infuse paintings with a softer, smoky aura. It

depicts a young woman of uncertain identify, with a slight smile that has captivated viewers for centuries.
Accounts from an early biographer, however, suggest that the subject of the “Mona Lisa” is Lisa del Giocondo,
the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant, a theory that is supported by the painting’s original name —
“La Gioconda.” For da Vinci, the painting remained a work in progress, and if the painting was commissioned,
the commissioner never received it, as it remained in da Vinci’s posession. Today it can be seen in the Louvre
Museum in Paris, where it is protected behind bulletproof glass and revered as a national treasure.



On the basis of reading of the above passage, answer the following questions briefly: -
•(a) What further damaged “The Last Supper?”
•(b) What is da Vinci’s best-known painting?
•(c) What is the sfumato technique?
•(d) What is the mystery surrounding the “Mona Lisa?”
•(e) Where is ‘the Mona Lisa’ today?

[ Please give full & correct answers.]​

Answer 1

Answer:

(a) The Last Supper was further damaged by improper attempts at restoration.

(b) The best-known painting of Leonardo da Vinci is the Mona Lisa.

(c) The sfumato technique is the subtle gradations of the borders of paintings rather than strict borders. It infuses paintings with a softer and smoky aura.

(d) The mystery surrounding the Mona Lisa is that her identity is uncertain. She has a slight smile that captivates viewers.

(e) Today the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre

Museum in Paris.