Ryan Norton Assignment 1A Rhetorical Reflection Section HB- McGough September 9, 2013 The Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa, by Leonardo Da Vinci, is still an iconic painting so many years after its creation. Through time the painting's audience and context seem to change. All the while the purpose has always been different to everyone that is blessed enough to see it, whether in a textbook or on the original canvas. The audience of the piece has gradually changed from the personal friends and relatives of the woman in the portrait to all those whom wish to see such a famous piece of art. When the Mona Lisa was first painted around the year 1510, it was for the family and the few that would visit them and happen to see it, but as with most famous artists, the painting attracted more attention once the painter was dead. With the new found recognition, the audience shifted to all those that would wish to see a famous Da Vinci painting. The most relevant context was that Da Vinci was hired to paint the portrait of this woman for her family. Around the same time, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and there were battles featuring France as the major adversary. Nowadays the context is, most simply, the state of the Louvre, the museum this famous painting resides in. The context in question, however, is any reproduction, or in this case it is in some college textbook. It is a shame that the painting has been used in such obnoxious ways as an ad or ruined and made into a collage, but it still brings acknowledgement to the original. As the current events of the day could be considered part of the context, the current events best shape the purpose for the future. The purpose began as a testament to the beauty of this woman as her husband and family would perceive it. As time flows, new events unfold and bring a new perspective to each person; each person has the capability to see something new or different in this painting generally based on their life experiences. A common purpose found in this painting is that simplicity is a wonder or beauty. That purpose, in any way it can be phrased, has been around since the very beginning of the Mona Lisa. With all the changes to the context and audience of the Mona Lisa, the painting remains as Leonardo Da Vinci had wished it to be. Even today, this century-old, famous painting has the ability to change the lives of the patrons that come from all around the world just to see, the Mona Lisa. Works Cited Harriss, Joseph A. "Seeking Mona Lisa." Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 146-159.