Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in approximately 1503 AD. It features the figure of a woman identified as Mona (or Madame) Lisa La Giocando who was the wife of a wealthy Florence businessman of the time. The painting originally included a column on either side of Mona Lisa which framed a mountainous background. It was painted on wood, and after Leonardo da Vinci’s death, the panels were cut down on either side resulting in the panel we see today.

Mona Lisa’s beautiful smile appears to change and her eyes seem to follow you as you move about her. Her proportions have been examined extensively, and Leonardo seems to have made extensive use of the golden proportion (PHI) in its creation.

We have outlined some of the more obvious uses of PHI in the painting here. In the overall portrait, the distance from the bottom of Mona Lisa’s right fingers to the top of her forehead is 1.618 times the distance from the bottom of her right fingers to the base of her neck. The right side of her face is then in smaller proportion to the original golden rectangle.

Some other ratios that are in golden proportion (1.618: 1) are as follows:

  • The distance starting from the base of the neck to the centre of the pupil, and the base of the neck to the top of the forehead.
  • The distance from the right side of the face to the right side of top of the nose, and the width of the face at that point.
  • The bottom of the chin to the bottom of the lips, and the bottom of the chin to the bottom of the nose

There are other examples of the use of the golden mean throughout this and other of his masterpieces. Leonardo da Vinci believed there was an aesthetic link that connected humanity and nature in the Golden Proportion. Today, the Golden Proportion is prevalent in art, architecture, music, nature – and some say even in the stock market. The balance and harmony achieved using this ratio can be readily transferred into your home’s design and décor, and can be incorporated into one of our customized rugs – ensuring a naturally pleasing addition to your home. It is important that you take the time to ensure your new rug will suit in your setting. With Coastal Style, your new rug can be custom crafted to meet your needs to the inch.

 

Student: Sourav Malakar

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