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Analysis of “Mona Lisa” and “Migrant Mother”
| Mona Lisa Artist: Leonardo da Vinci Created between 1503-1509 Location: The Louvre, Paris | Migrant Mother Artist: Dorothea Lange Created 1936 Location: Oakland Museum, California |
Introduction
This exposition entails the analysis of two artistic works, which include a painting and a photograph. The first artwork is the Mona Lisa painting drawn by Leonardo da Vinci between the estimated times of 1503-1509. This painting has raised many speculations among scholars and historians who try to understand the meaning of this artwork. The painting is a half body portrait of a woman. The painting has a background behind the woman showing a distant landscape. Different types of shadings were employed by the painter to illustrate the difference between the rivers and valleys. The painting depicts a faint smile, which gives the painting an overall meaning that relates both the humanity and nature. The second artwork is a photograph referred to as the “Migrant Mother” captured by Dorothea Lange in 1936 in Nipomo, California, 1936. The photograph shows depression which as explained by the photographer was about the woman who lived with her two kids relying on frozen vegetables and birds killed by the children.
Comparison of the Two Artworks
The two artworks present major differences not only because of their presentation where one is a photograph, and the other is a painting but also because they depict different settings and feelings. However, they present some similarities based on the hue, shade, and color used to give the main subject of the artworks. One of the similarities of these artworks is the subjects presented. Both show female subjects where their varying expressions are shown through the different coloring and shading.
Dorothea Lange’s photograph shows a subject in distress. The photograph depicts sadness from the wrinkles on her young face to the woman holding her chin sadly and the two children huddled by her side. The lighting of the photo gives the different shadows that give the striking features of the artwork. The primary focus of the shot is the woman and her huddled kids making the photograph a close-up with no background.
On the contrary, Leonardo da Vinci’s painting shows a subject, woman, who is contented as per the faint smile and the relaxed posture she assumes. The use of different coloring and shading gives a 3D impression where the viewer of the painting can be drawn into imagining the not only see the subject but also the vivid background behind her. Unlike the photograph, the subject is a close up while the background seems to be far behind the subject making the viewer wander off the horizons.
Leonardo da Vinci’s painting places more emphasis on the face of the subject, which is achieved through the bright hue used. The bright shading of both the face and the hands brings a contrast between the subject and space. However, the painter maintains the unity of the painting by maintaining a balanced contrast where the subject and the space colors do not vary significantly from the subject’s clothes. The bright hue of the painting makes it easy to depict the faint smile of the subject. Dorothea Lange’s photograph has a 3D impression where the visual manifestation of the features of the photo such as the woman’s wrinkles and the huddles kids are evident. The value of the photograph makes it easier to visualize the three children huddled around the woman. None of the individuals captured in the photograph makes a direct contact with the lens hence showing the gloomy mood of the artwork. However, a balance is maintained in the photograph whereby the monochrome is composed of black and while colors.
Conclusion
Both artworks convey different moods where the “Mona Lisa” painting shows contentment and happiness while the “Migrant Mother” photograph shows sadness and tensions. The different coloring and contrast shows the difference between the two artworks and presents a contrast between the subject and space. Therefore, Leonardo da Vinci and Dorothea Lange show that art can indeed take different forms to convey a special message of key issues in society.
