Would Robin Hood Leave Maid Marion for Mona Lisa?
A Comparison of Renaissance and Other Art
An Introduction~~
Meet the Fair Ladies:
Maid Marion
Maid Marion by Louis Rhead.
Maid Marion has been broadly depicted in legend and in media, usually according to different cultural influences and movements of various time periods.
Marion is played in modern retellings of Robin Hood as a beautiful, resourceful, and intelligent young woman of noble birth. Indeed, since the feminist movement, she has been portrayed as a strong-willed, independent woman who is ready to stand up for justice and fairness for all people in her kingdom--regardless of their rank in society.
At other times in history, she is the classic damsel-in-distress who suffers and pines for Robin Hood, powerless to control the situation around her. It's not surprising that Maid Marion had come to epitomize the highest ideals a woman could possess from the Middle Ages: noble, chaste, pious, and modest. She must have been a hero to the women of her era.
One notion that remains constant about Maid Marion is her beauty. From paintings to sketches to film and television--there has been no unattractive portrayals of Maid Marion. To demonstrate the legend of her beauty and nobility, the following is an excerpt from Francis James Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1888:
"For favour and face, and beauty most rare,
Marion is played in modern retellings of Robin Hood as a beautiful, resourceful, and intelligent young woman of noble birth. Indeed, since the feminist movement, she has been portrayed as a strong-willed, independent woman who is ready to stand up for justice and fairness for all people in her kingdom--regardless of their rank in society.
At other times in history, she is the classic damsel-in-distress who suffers and pines for Robin Hood, powerless to control the situation around her. It's not surprising that Maid Marion had come to epitomize the highest ideals a woman could possess from the Middle Ages: noble, chaste, pious, and modest. She must have been a hero to the women of her era.
One notion that remains constant about Maid Marion is her beauty. From paintings to sketches to film and television--there has been no unattractive portrayals of Maid Marion. To demonstrate the legend of her beauty and nobility, the following is an excerpt from Francis James Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1888:
"For favour and face, and beauty most rare,
- Queen Hellen shee did excell;
- That did in the country dwell."
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, c. 1519.
Mona Lisa's real name is Lisa del Giocondo. Not much is known about her except that she was the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant and lived in from around 1479 to 1552. She was married at age 15 and had 6 children. It has also been said that she is not a great beauty by 15th or 21st century standards. Then why is Mona Lisa such a catch?
It's because she's mysterious and revolutionary. Look closely at her portrait. Her skin glows in a realistic fashion. From there you can move onto the curves of her arms, smile, and hair and then watch those curves continue deep in the beautiful landscape. We know she is married, and yet, she sits with no adornment that tells us she is so. She looks very amused, but at what? Certainly, there are more questions about Mona Lisa than answers.
At this point you might be wondering what is so revolutionary about a woman sitting in a chair. The answer is everything! When Da Vinci painted Mona Lisa he used new techniques that rocked the art world. He broke with traditional methods of sketching before drawing, thus allowing Mona Lisa to look almost real. He used new methods of painting light to make Lisa's skin glow. He also made use of aerial perspective, which allows us to gain a good look at Mona Lisa in the front and the beautiful landscape in the distance.
So, Mona Lisa may not be a regal or great beauty, but she is symbol of new ideas, modernity, and progress. After all, there must be something about Lisa to keep the world interested after almost 500 years!
So...the question is...
Do YOU think that Robin Hood would leave Maid Marion for Mona Lisa?
It's because she's mysterious and revolutionary. Look closely at her portrait. Her skin glows in a realistic fashion. From there you can move onto the curves of her arms, smile, and hair and then watch those curves continue deep in the beautiful landscape. We know she is married, and yet, she sits with no adornment that tells us she is so. She looks very amused, but at what? Certainly, there are more questions about Mona Lisa than answers.
At this point you might be wondering what is so revolutionary about a woman sitting in a chair. The answer is everything! When Da Vinci painted Mona Lisa he used new techniques that rocked the art world. He broke with traditional methods of sketching before drawing, thus allowing Mona Lisa to look almost real. He used new methods of painting light to make Lisa's skin glow. He also made use of aerial perspective, which allows us to gain a good look at Mona Lisa in the front and the beautiful landscape in the distance.
So, Mona Lisa may not be a regal or great beauty, but she is symbol of new ideas, modernity, and progress. After all, there must be something about Lisa to keep the world interested after almost 500 years!
So...the question is...
Do YOU think that Robin Hood would leave Maid Marion for Mona Lisa?
