The Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous paintings, is also one of the most ambiguous. Scholars have tried for years to attempt to decipher the hidden meanings and mysteries behind this masterpiece.

I am very intrigued by this painting. I am a big mystery fan, so this is right up my alley. Some of the aspects that have been debated over the years are the background, the subject’s eyes and her mouth. I have often wondered what she was looking at while da Vinci was painting her portrait.

In addition to being one of the world’s most renowned artists, da Vinci was also a man of science, with a great curiosity of the natural world. Due to his background in the sciences and the human body, he was able to integrate some of his knowledge into creating illusions in his art.

I feel that this picture was created to make the viewer stop and ponder the painting. da Vinci made the piece visually appealing, yet multi-layered. On the surface, it can appear to be a women having her portrait painted, yet most people overlook da Vinvi’s odd choice of  background along with his choice of facial features and expression.

Like the Mona Lisa, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks is also a very familiar painting. I can not tell you how many times I have seen the painting Nighthawks before, not even realizing how famous the painting really was. I have seen this print all over thinking that it was a movie reference or advertisement, not realizing that it is a very famous work!

Today’s media producers do a great job of integrating old works into today’s culture. The painting is so famous that it has been parodied by various outlets including “The Simpsons,” “Seinfeld,” “The Fairly Odd Parents,” and “The New Yorker,” amongst many, many others.

Hopper, like da Vinci, leaves questions in the observers mind. Where is the diner’s entrance? Why are the walls so bare? What can the diners be thinking about? Many have even wondered and tried to find if that corner diner truly exists.