French President Emmanuel Macron announced that one of the most famous paintings in the world – the masterpiece of Italian Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci – will be displayed in a separate room with a distinct entrance, separate from the rest of the Louvre's collection. Access to this room will require a special ticket.

Today, the "Mona Lisa" also known as the "La Gioconda" is one of the most valuable paintings of Western European art. Its renown is not only due to its artistic merit and the genius of the artist but also the atmosphere of mystery that surrounds it. It was included in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive painting by insurance value, estimated at 100 million dollars. Some art experts speculate that the painting's value ranges from one to three billion dollars.

It is believed that the painting, created with oil on a poplar wood panel, depicts the Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini, the wife of silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. This painting was one of the first portraits to show a person set against an imagined landscape, and Leonardo was one of the first artists to use atmospheric perspective: behind the woman, the vast landscape recedes toward the mountains.

The composition of the painting is considered a model of portrait genre – it adheres to the principles of harmony and rhythm: the model is placed within a proportional rectangle, the wavy strand of hair harmonizes with the translucent veil, and the folded hands provide the painting with a special compositional completion.

However, what most attracts viewers is the Mona Lisa's restrained smile, which has been the subject of centuries of study and debate. This smile is the main mystery and charm of the painting. Described as enigmatic and ambiguous, it captures the attention not only of ordinary viewers and art historians but also psychologists.

Among the admirers of the painting was French King Francis I, who purchased the artwork more than five centuries ago. Today, the masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci is the property of the French Republic and is permanently displayed in the Louvre in Paris.

ORIENT