Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, created in 1488, was not drawn from real life. According to the existing versions, the starting material for the painting was a medal with a young woman’s profile, made especially for the marriage of Giovanna Della Albizzi to Lorenzo Tornabuoni. The author of the canvas is Domenico Ghirlandaio, one of the best masters of the Early Middle Ages portrait painters from Florence. The size of the painting is 30 in × 19 in, and the artist worked on a blackboard with tempera, a water-based kind of painting that existed prior to oil paint. Mona Lisa is undoubtedly Leonardo Da Vinci’s most legendary work. The painting portrays Lisa del Giocondo, the young wife of the famous Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Contrary to Ghirlandaio, Da Vinci rarely accepted orders, but his story with Mona Lisa was exceptional. He dedicated all of his time and passion to painting the artwork and finished it only in 1516. The canvas is 30 in × 21 in size, and the materials used by the painter are oil on a poplar panel. Da Vinci also used a technique known as sfumato, which gives paintings smooth and thoroughly blended transitions between light, shade, and color. However, both artists pay tribute to the painting style traditions of the 15th-century Florentine portraiture.
The half-length portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni (Ghirlandaio) depicts a woman’s figure in profile, with her hands pressed together. The lady’s face is calm, and particular emotions or facial expressions are completely absent. The Mona Lisa portrait (Da Vinci) is also half-length and fits into a proportional rectangle. However, Mona Lisa is smiling, while Giovanna is not showing any emotion. In contrast to Giovanna Tornabuoni’s portrait, which shows her profile, Mona Lisa’s figure faces the viewers.
An expensive piece of jewelry is visible on Giovanna’s chest. She is combed in a medieval fashion and dressed in a luxurious outfit filled with fascinating details and ornaments. The appearance and proportions of the body are clearly idealized so as not to violate the epoch’s laws of style. Mona Lisa rests in a chair, and her hands are folded together, similar to Giovanna Tornabuoni. She is sitting in a half-turned position and dressed in dark clothes, which look the opposite of Giovanna’s colorful attire. Mona Lisa’s dress is a beautiful shade of green and has thin ruffles and yellow sleeves.
In terms of composition, Ghirlandaio’s work contains foreground and background. The female figure is located considerably closer to the viewer. Behind the woman, at some distance, there is a shallow niche with several objects. They are rosary beads attached to the upper shelf, a tablet with the words of an ancient Roman poet engraved on it, and a half-open prayer book. Da Vinci, on the contrary, drew Mona Lisa in front of gorgeous scenery. The woman positioned herself against the background of desolate wilderness and winding streams and lakes surrounded by mountains. At first glance, her enlarged figure with the landscape visible in the distance gives the image the presence of extraordinary grandeur. Hence, the backgrounds of the two artworks are almost antithetical to each other as Giovanna Tornabuoni is located in a room, and Mona Lisa is seated in the open and close to nature. The color palettes and the overall moods of the paintings are also different —The portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni is rich with vibrant colors, and Mona Lisa is completed in rather dark and deep shades.
It is believed that the composition of the Mona Lisa is the epitome of the portrait genre. A translucent veil complements a wavy strand of the woman’s hair, and her modest posture gives the painting compositional completeness. The portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni is strikingly different from those familiar to the modern connoisseurs. In this case, the viewers are exposed to an idealized image of an honorable woman. Her facial features resemble a flawless mask, carefully drawn in accordance with the rules of the Early Italian Renaissance art. It is fascinating how these two paintings portray idealized female models of Italian art, yet they are remarkably different and unique.
Works Cited
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503-1505. The Louvre, Paris. Web.
Ghirlandaio, Domenico. Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni. 1488-1490. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. Web.