This is non-linear learning resource designed for a year 8 visual art class. This learning resource is designed to be used independently by each student and allows for a range of abilities through the inclusion of extension tasks and activities. Different types of learners are also supported through the inclusion of visual, written and verbal information.

1. The Mona Lisa
&
Leonardo Da Vinci

3. Mona Lisa Who?
78 cm
If you would
like to take a
more in
depth look at
the Mona
Lisa, click
here.
53 cm

4. The Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci
If you feel that you
would like to learn
more about
Leonardo Da Vinci,
click here to go to
the online resource
Universal Leonardo
and use the timeline
to explore his life.
Who: Leonardo Da Vinci
Born: April 15th, 1452 in Anchiano, Italy
Died: May 2nd, 1519 in Clos Luce, France
Artworks Include: The Mona Lisa, Ginevra de’
Benci, Lady with an Ermine and The Last Supper

5. Ginevra de’ Benci
As with many of Da
Vinci’s paintings,
Ginevra de’ Benci
includes a clue to the
sitter’s identity. The
figure sits in front of a
juniper bush, and
juniper is ginepro in
Italian.
Ginevra de Benci
Leonardo Da Vinci
1475
BACK

6. Lady with an Ermine
Lady with an Ermine is
thought to show Cecilia
Gallerani. Many critics
believe that this lady
was also the model for
the angel in the second
Virgin of the Rocks. The
ermine the sitter holds
represents purity and is
a clue to sitters identity.
The Greek word for
ermine is galle.
Lady with an Ermine
Leonardo Da Vinci
1488-1490
BACK

7. The Last Supper
The Last Supper is a fresco which
was painted in the Church of Santa
Maria delle Grazie. In the work Da
Vinci captures several moments at
once. Within the same scene we
see the shock on the faces of the
apostles even as Jesus is
announcing his coming betrayal.
Some critics have suggested that
the figure sitting as Jesus’ right
hand is not a man at all, but is
actually Mary Magdalene. Do you
think this figure is a woman or a
man, why or why not?
The Last Supper
Leonardo Da Vinci
1495-1498
BACK

8. Revolutionising Painting
Key terms
Sfumato:
The building up of many
layers of paint to create
depth
Pyramidal Composition:
The composition of the
sitter is shaped like a
pyramid, with the sitter’s
hands acting as the base

10. Extra, Extra.
Read all about it!
MONA LISA STOLEN !!! Mona Lisa
stolen by man
in love with
her!
Mona Lisa stolen
by mad man!
Mona
Lisa
stolen by
jealous
Mona Lisa Picasso!
stolen by
crazed art fan!
France weeps
at the loss of an
icon.

12. Mona Lisa in Music
The Mona Lisa has been included in many songs as a symbol of beauty and
mystery. Click on the images below to listen to snippets of some of these songs.
Each clip is about a minute long, let them play through, take note of the themes
and then click on another song. Do you recognise them? Perhaps you can think of
other songs that mention the Mona Lisa.
Mona Lisa
Performed by Nat King Cole
1950
The Ballad of Mona Lisa
Performed by Panic! At the disco Mona Lisa
2011 Performed by Britney Spears
2004
BACK

13. Mona Lisa Four Times
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol, the
leading pioneer of Pop
Art, took a modern view
of the Mona Lisa. He
neither viewed it as a
masterpiece, or an icon.
Instead, it was simply
another image which
has been, and could
continue to be,
endlessly multiplied by
technology. Mona Lisa Four Times
Andy Warhol
c. 1963
BACK

14. Advertising, Magazines and Books
The Mona Lisa has been adopted by countless companies and
associations to help sell their products, yet she still remains the
defining masterpiece in the history of art. Here are just a few
examples of the Mona Lisa is advertising. Perhaps you can think of
some more.
BACK

15. Self-Portrait as Mona Lisa
Salvador Dali
In his Self-Portrait as Mona
Lisa, Dali parodied not only
the painting itself, but also its
most famous disfigurement,
Marcel Duchamp’s, L.H.O.O.Q.
of 1919. Dali replaced
Duchamp’s understated
additions by collaging his trade
Self-Portrait as Mona Lisa
mark moustache, his own Salvador Dali
hands and an avalanche of 1954
coins to the work.
BACK

16. L.H.O.O.Q.
Marcel Duchamp
L.H.O.O.Q.
Marcel Duchamp
BACK 1919

17. Quiz
Question 1
Who painted the Mona Lisa and when?
a) Michael Angelo in 1754
b) Leonardo Da Vinci in 1503
c) Eugene Delacroix in 1855

18. Sorry!
Try again, click on the
arrow below to go
back to the question.

19. Question 2
Who stole the Mona Lisa in 1911?
a) Leonardo Da Vinci
b) The owner of the Louvre
c) Vincenzo Peruggia

20. Sorry!
Try again, click on the
arrow below to go
back to the question.

21. Question 3)
Who was Lisa Gherardini?
a) The woman the painting was based on
b) Leonardo Da Vinci’s wife
c) The person who stole the painting

22. Sorry!
Try again, click on the
arrow below to go
back to the question.

23. Question 4
What made the Mona Lisa such a revolutionary
painting?
a) The gaze of the Mona Lisa
b) The pyramidal composition of the painting
c) The way in which the sitter is presented, true to life
d) Da Vinci’s painting techniques, such as Sfumato
e) All of the above

24. Sorry!
Try again, click on the
arrow below to go
back to the question.

25. You’ve completed the quiz!
Good job, now that you know more about the Mona
Lisa, would you like to see if YOU can get the Mona
Lisa to smile?
Click here and have go at the online game. Just click
the play button, read the instructions and see how
you go! When you close the internet browser you will
be brought back to this page.
References for the artworks and music
within this presentation can be found
here.

26. References
Coles, N. (1950). Mona Lisa [Single]. USA: Paramount Music Corporation.
Dali, S. (1954). Self-Portrait as Mona Lisa [Photographic Print]. Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, Spain.
Da Vinci, L. (1475) Ginevra de Benci [Oil on wood]. National Gallery of Washingon, USA.
Da Vinci, L. (1488-1490) Lady with an Ermine [Oil on walnut]. Czartoryski Museum, Krakow, Poland.
Da Vinci, L. (1495-1498) The Last Supper [Fresco]. Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy.
Da Vinci, L. (1503). Mona lisa [Oil on wood]. Louvre, Paris, France.
Duchamp, M. (1919). L.H.O.O.Q. [Painting on Postcard]. Private Collection.
Panic! At The Disco. (2011). The Ballad of Mona Lisa. On Vices & Virtues [CD]. Newyork, NY: Warner
Music Company.
Spears, B. (2004). Mona Lisa. On The Original Doll [CD]. USA: Jive Records.
Warhol, A. (1963). Mona Lisa Four Times [Silk screen]. Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Newyork,
USA.