Finance & economics | The art of interpretation

How to explain the puzzle of the world economy

Welcome to the Mona Lisa effect

Paris, France May 16, 2022 - Many visitors take pictures of the famous painting Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum. With local, European and North American visitors, tourism in Paris and le-de-France has returned close to pre-pandemic levels. LA JOCONDE, MUSEE DU LOUVRE, MONA LISA, ILLUSTRATION, TOURISME A PARIS, MONUMENT, LIEU EMBLEMATIQUE, GENERIQUE, VISITER PARIS, SITE TOURISTIQUE, ICONE, PEINTURE, CELEBRE, LEONARD DE VINCI, ART, CULTURE, TOURISTES, LIEUX CULTURELS, PEINTURE PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xVincentxIsorex
Image: Imago

What is mona lisa doing? At first glance the subject of the world’s most famous painting seems to be smiling. Look again and her smile fades. When it next reappears, it is a different sort of smile. Leonardo da Vinci achieved this ambiguous effect with the use of sfumato, where he blurred the lines around Mona Lisa’s face. No matter how many times you look, you are unsure quite what is happening.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “The Mona Lisa effect”

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