The Mona Lisa and The Starry Night

Art is a language completely different from English, French, Chinese, or any other normal spoken language. The language of all the arts is feeling: emotion, intuition, and form or idea without words.

Mona Lisa is the most recognized painting in the world painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. The said painting had caused so much speculation which has led to million interpretations. But why has the picture become so popular? The woman in the painting is Lisa Gerardini wife of a businessman named Francesco Giocondo. In the artwork, her smile is the most controversial part, it is often described as "mysterious". One article said that while Leonardo was painting Mona Lisa, her husband went inside the room and Mona Lisa flashed her husband a lustful smile which Leonardo captured. A theory by Dr. Lillian Schwartz of Bell Labs suggests the Leonardo painted himself, and she supports this by digitally flipping the picture which showed the face features perfectly aligned. Another article states that since Leonardo Da Vinci is said to be "homosexual", he painted the Mona Lisa to express his feminine side. Whatever history lies behind the making of the famous Mona Lisa, the only thing were sure of is that Leonardo Da Vinci wanted it there.

The Starry Night, painting of Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most well known artwork in the modern history. The painting shows a beautiful bright night sky with swirling clouds and a brilliant crescent moon, below it lies a small peaceful town. The way it was painted and the cool, dark colors that's used really brings back childhood memories. The swirling detail of the painting makes it look like its alive and moving. But what really makes it captivating is the massive dark structure on the left of the painting which gives an even greater sense of size and isolation.

One way to approach a work of art, or "discover" it, is simply by just opening up our own feelings and emotions. We can try to figure out the mystery behind it or we could just admire it and get lost to its brilliant colors and emotions. It is by such imaginings, such empathetic sharing, that we discover the emotional roots and feelings of the artist or performer himself or herself.