A masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, The Mona Lisa, showcases a blend of artistic elements and principles, used to contribute to its timeless appeal. The Mona Lisa painting is a Renaissance-era portrait painted in oil on a poplar wood panel. It was painted in a style called ombreto, which is an Italian word for smoke. Mona Lisa was painted by the famous artistic name Leonardo da Vinci. She is called La Giocondo because she was believed to be the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The Mona Lisa was painted in Florence, Italy, in the year (1503-1519). The Mona Lisa can be considered one of the most famous paintings in the world. The Mona Lisa is exhibited in Paris, France, in the Louvre Museum. The Mona Lisa belongs to the public and “the painting cannot be bought or sold under French heritage law” (“Mona Lisa”). The painting is relatively small. The original dimensions of the painting are 77 x 53 cm (30 x 20 ⅞ inches). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Mona Lisa is one of the best works of art in the world. It is one of the paintings sought at all costs by people all over the world. It has always been recognized as a good work of art, but it was not until 1911 that it gained worldwide fame. The painting was stolen from the Louvre Museum in France in 1911. It was missing for over two years. During the time it was stolen, the painting gained much of its popularity. Some estimate that the painting is worth around $850 million today, even though it cannot be bought or sold (“How much does it cost”). But what makes this work of art a masterpiece? This article will analyze and evaluate aspects of this famous painting. Elements and principles of this masterpiece This article covers two basic design principles and elements. The chosen design elements are value and space. The two design principles chosen are balance and emphasis. The definition of value is the amount of darkness or lightness used in the painting. The Mona Lisa can be described by a tram called chiaroscuro, which has mostly darker colors, however, the background and face use lighter colors. Interestingly, most of the dark colors are towards the bottom of the painting and the lighter colors, other than the hair, are towards the top of the painting. The use of darker colors makes Mona Lisa's face appear to shine and stand out from the rest of the painting. Aerial perspective is also used because the foreground protrudes much more than the background. This perspective is demonstrated by making the background a little blurry so that it appears much further away than the woman. This painting is symmetrically balanced. The woman's weight is equal on both sides of the painting. She is at the center of the painting and also “a balance is created as we see equal parts of the face on both sides of the nose” (Boddy-Evans). It is also evident that a balance is created since the space between the head and shoulders is equal. It is easy to see that Leonardo Da Vinci wants all of the viewer's attention to be directly on the woman and does not include any other features in the painting that would distract the viewer's attention. The woman is almost perfectly aligned in the center of the painting. His hands are also close to the center. All these features make the painting symmetrically balanced and the main attention is paid to all aspects of the woman. The Mona Lisa was considered a great work of art. Leonardo Da Vinci was able to create a masterpiece. It is considered one of the most extensive works of art in the world. There are two main reasons why this painting is so successful. The first is that it was painted by a famous and great artist. There.