66
Exploring the Mediating Forces Between the Artwork and the Art Observer: an Analysis of the Spectacle of Mona Lisa Caroline DeFrias
Mona Lisa is a global icon—there exists perhaps no more renowned a work of art. She is a masterpiece by artist legend Leonardo Da Vinci and the object of a global scandal, though these are only said faintly, as if whispered through the walls. It is her placement that speaks for her, that speaks louder than these systems that make it so. Curation is the product of the history and the discourse of a piece—the physical framings are the manifestations of the mental. Yet once established, curation speaks for and furthers itself. The ideologies of importance that surround Mona Lisa translate into a curatorial system that, in turn, cements and furthers their influence, though their existence may be forgotten. Indeed, curation proliferates the status of a piece, regardless of the consciousness of the systems that incite it. Mona Lisa currently stands as a global icon apart from the ideas that make it so. It is her curation, the careful placement and special treatment, that generates the allure she presently enjoys. Mona Lisa is a global spectacle, a piece that is perhaps unparalleled in regards to its fame and this is indebted to its curation. First, one must treat the painting—to understand the placed object itself. Oil on wood, 77 x 53 centimeters display a young woman seated. She faces the viewer, though her body is angled, presenting a three-quarter view. Her right hand is upon her left wrist, which is resting on the arm of a chair. She wears a dark, simple dress. She has no jewels or other extravagance. Her hair is dark,
