I though the article She Can’t Smile Without You by Kari Lynn Dean was very interesting. Before reading the article, I had in fact heard of the many different theories on wether the Mona Lisa is smiling in the painting or not. Even though I have heard of these ideas before and have seen images of the Mona Lisa many times, I never really took the time to examine her mouth and form an opinion of my own. However after reading the article I spent a great amount of time trying to decide what I think she is doing with her mouth in the painting.
One of the things that I enjoyed most about the article was getting to read other peoples theories on the painting. One theory that I found the most interesting was Theory 1: Brush Strokes. In this theory the author explains that “The shadows around the lips seem to pull up the corners of the mouth, suggesting a smile” (517). I liked this theory, and agreed with it because when I took the time to really look at the painting I could in fact see how the corners of her mouth were darker. I agree that this technique does in fact make it look as though the Mona Lisa is smiling, or smirking in the painting.
Although I agreed with Theory 1: Brush Strokes the most, after reading the other theories, I felt that I could see what they were talking about also. However, the theory that I agree with the most is Theory 1, and that the Mona Lisa is smiling in the painting.
