"In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live.
In the movie Mona Lisa Smile, directed by Mike Newell in 2003, three eligible women have choices and what they chose grounds them to the roles they play in society and what inevitable leads them to feminism because of the choices they made.
Feminism began well before the 1960-70's to which most people regard as its beginning. The first hint of feminism was in 1792, when Mary Wollstonecraft released her book Vindication of the Rights of Women; however, nothing ever came of her fight for feminism. In 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York two women Elizabeth Cady Stanton , Lucretia Coffin Mott, and others in the women's convention pushed for the addition of women's liberation in the Constitution (Olin, 1). Women issued a declaration of independence, demanding full legal impartiality, full educational and commercial opportunity, equal compensation, the right to collect wages, and the right to vote. The movement spread quickly and soon extended to Europe. With a lot of work and dedication women's demands for higher education, entry into various lines of work, married women's rights to property, and the right to vote were approved (Unknown 1). After woman suffrage was won in 1920, women were divided on the question of equal standing with men.
In 1963, author Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, a critique of middle-class ways of life that aided millions of women in expressing their discontent. She argued that women often had no outlets for expression other than "finding a husband and bearing children." "Friedan encouraged readers to seek new roles and responsibilities, to seek their own personal and professional identities rather than have them defined by the outside, male-dominated society" (Unknown 1). .
It is now the year 2004 and women have come a long way from Mary Wollstonecraft. In 1966, 28 professional women, including Betty Friedan, created the National Organization for Women (NOW) "to take action to bring American women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now.
The Secrets of Mona Lisa Outline I. ... Leonardo da Vinchi's profile on the veil of the Mona Lisa. ... The way Mona Lisa looks at us. ... The top of his head is the veil line crossing Mona Lisa's forehead. The profile looks to Mona Lisa's right and our left as we view the painting. ...
But perhaps, his most famous and controversial masterpiece is the "Mona Lisa." ... And although each viewer may see the Mona Lisa differently, the most common point of interest is what's most mysterious about the painting - the reason for her smile. ... Her identity was mush easier to find than the Mona Lisa's. ... The face of La belle is expressionless and almost looks as if she is lost in thought, the lips are in a very faint smile, but it is not the same as the Mona Lisa's. ... Simple; her smile....
In Leonardo's Mona Lisa (1503), her expression is that of physical and emotional restraint-riposo. Raphael's La Donna Velata (1516) also features a restrained expression like that of Mona Lisa. ... Mona Lisa and La Donna Velata's hairstyles are both smoothed dark hair with a part in the middle, obviously fashionable at the time. ... With Mona Lisa's background setting including a winding path/river, which gives the meaning of a Path of Virtue, the symbolism of the Path of Virtue combined with the veil symbolism shows that Mona Lisa was a married woman, not a mistress as...
In portraits such as his Mona Lisa, da Vinci began to popularise the use of the three quarter pose, this provided a sense of intimacy between the subject and viewer with the woman managing to engage the eyes of the viewer' (Garrard. ... Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting would have to be the Mona Lisa, also known as La Gioconda. ... The subject of the Mona Lisa, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo is presented in a mysterious way. ... Her smile has been a subject of many a discussion, the cause of which is unknown and is destined to remain a mystery. ... The portraits which ...
Another of Leonardo's paintings that is extremely well known throughout the world, probably one of the most well known works of art in the world, is the Mona Lisa. ... We can not really tell where it is or why he chose to put it with Mona Lisa. ... Roy McMullen said "The barren uneven background in the Mona Lisa is as dispassionate as the sitter," which would refer to the enigmatic smile that Leonardo has decided to put on this woman. ... In one of his most known works, "The Mona Lisa," this technique is all too evident. ... Take the "Mona Lisa" for example. ...
Mona Lisa's enigmatic expression, seemingly both alluring and aloof, has given the portrait universal fame. In the painting, Mona Lisa, Leonardo concentrated most on the harmony of the figure and the back ground. ... Most famous of all, Mona Lisa's mouth and eyes were delicately blurred creating the mystery smile, both melancholic and mocking. Mona Lisa's mysterious smile evocative and the aliveness of the painting is a product of Leonardo de Vinci's study of nature. ... Also, in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the figure's every detail is echoed in the backgr...
(Hart 96) The Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa is regarded as the most famous and well-known works in all of art history. ... Surprisingly enough, there is no actual proof that da Vinci was the artist responsible for The Mona Lisa. ... (www.loadstar.prometeus.net/leonardo/mona.html 1) The most notable feature of the Mona Lisa is the "mysterious" smiling face. ... (Janson 456) Interestingly enough, a nude version of the Mona Lisa was made for the king of France. ... The Louvre decided that all of the masterpieces should be under glass just ten months before the Mona Lisa was stolen. ...
