In 2025, Wu Keyang's Oriental Spiritual Paintings

The Third Stop of the International Tour Exhibition

· Florence ·

The Mysterious Smile of the Mona Lisa 

The portrait of the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows or eyelashes, and her face looks very harmonious. When you look directly at Mona Lisa's mouth, you will feel that she doesn't smile much; however, when you look into her eyes and sense the shadows on her cheeks, you will feel that she is smiling. Some researchers have used the theory of micro-expressions to conclude that in Mona Lisa's smile, there is 83% happiness, 9% disgust, 6% fear, and 2% anger.

What? The Mona Lisa was stolen?   

On August 22nd, 1911, Louis Béroud, a Parisian artist, entered the Salon Carré of the Louvre and found that only four nails were left in the place where the Mona Lisa was hung. The museum officials were informed that the Mona Lisa had been stolen.

On November 29th, 1913, the thief wrote to Alfredo Geri, an antique dealer in Florence, hoping to sell the painting. After identification, the painting was the stolen Mona Lisa. Geri persuaded the "thief" to return to the hotel and wait for the reward, and then called the police. The thief, whose original name was Vincenzo Peruggia, was arrested. After some heated discussions, the Italian parliament returned the Mona Lisa to France.

The Four Creation Stages of the Mona Lisa

· The first stage: It is a portrait draft of an unknown subject. From the outline, it can be seen that there is a relatively large head, nose, hands, and a smaller mouth.

· The second stage: Leonardo da Vinci covered the original draft with a "Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Pearl Hair Ornament".

· The third stage: It is the "Portrait of Lisa Gherardini" created in 1503. Pascal believes that this is the original appearance of Mona Lisa and what he considers to be "another portrait of a woman". In this painting, Mona Lisa looks to the left with a smile on her face, which is the standard appearance of a portrait at that time.

· The fourth stage: It is the oil painting work of the Mona Lisa. The face turns slightly to the right, and even the gaze is to the right.

The Mysterious Characters in Mona Lisa's Eyes

Silvano Vinceti, President of the Italian National Council of Cultural Heritage, used a microscope to observe Mona Lisa's eyes in the oil painting and discovered tiny characters. There are black letters "LV" painted on her greenish-brown right eyeball, which is obviously the initials of Leonardo da Vinci. The characters on the left eyeball have not been identified yet, but they seem to be the letters "CE", or possibly the letter "B" or "S". In addition to the eyes, there are also characters hidden in other parts of the painting. The number "72" can be seen on the bridge arch in the background, or it may be the letter "L" and the number "2".

The Continuation of the Artistic Chapter

The Smile of the Mona Lisa is not only a legend in the history of art but also intricately connected to Florence, a city renowned for its mysterious and enchanting beauty.     

From July to August 2025, Wu Keyang, a Chinese oil painter, will embark on a journey to this artistic mecca with his passion for art and unique perspectives, holding a solo exhibition that will last for a month.By choosing Florence as the venue for his exhibition, Wu will use his paintbrush as a medium to compose a new chapter in the collision and integration of Eastern art and Western culture in this capital of art, allowing the world to experience the power of Eastern art.

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