Who is Mona Lisa?
The Forgotten Muses.
The word “muse,” often conjures up images of hauntingly beautiful women who inspire men to create incredible works of art. They are the faces of Mona Lisa, The Birth of Venus, or The Weeping Woman. It is likely that you know the names Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Pablo Picasso. It is less likely that you have heard of Lisa del Giocondo, Simonetta Vespucci, or Dora Maar. Herein lies the problem of “the muse.”
These are the names of the women who purportedly inspired the aforementioned classic works of art. While their faces are forever remembered, their names and stories are forgotten or overlooked.
The term “muse” originates from Greek mythology. The nine muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, each inspire a different aspect of the arts and sciences. Calliope is the muse of epic poetry, Clio of history, Erato of love poems, Euterpe of music, Melpomene of tragedy, Polyhymnia of sacred poetry, Terpsichore of dance, Thalia of comedy, and Urania of astronomy.
While the original muses were Greek goddesses, the muses of the art we know and admire today were real women. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was painted between 1503 and 1519 and has since become the most famous painting in the world. Mona Lisa is displayed in The Louvre which “attracts around 10 million visitors a year and can accommodate some 30,000 to 50,000 people a day, 80 percent of whom come to see the Mona Lisa.”
While people flock to see Mona Lisa, little is known about the woman in the painting. It was not until 2005 that Lisa del Giocondo was confirmed to be the woman depicted in Mona Lisa. Even now, little is known about del Giocondo. On louvre.fr, Mona Lisa is titled “Mona Lisa — Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.” It is telling that del Giocondo’s identity is defined by that of her husband.
Simonetta Vespucci is the woman who is assumed to be depicted in Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Vespucci was also known as “La Bella Simonetta” (meaning “the beautiful Simonetta”) and was considered the most beautiful woman in Florence. This idea was perpetuated by Vespucci’s untimely demise. At 22, Vespucci succumbed to what was likely tuberculosis. Her body was placed in an open coffin and carried through the city for all to admire. After her death, her beauty reached mythical proportions. She is thought to have been the model for many great Renaissance paintings, including that of both Venus and Flora in Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Vespucci is also thought to be depicted in Botticelli’s Three Graces, The Judgment of Moses, Allegory of Spring, Primavera, and multiple portraits. Many speculate that Vespucci is also depicted in A Satyr mourning over a Nymph and Portrait of a Woman, both by Piero di Cosimo. Botticelli requested to be buried at the feet of Vespucci after his death— which was granted. It is worth noting that Vespucci was not the wife of Botticelli. Botticelli never married and some historians believe he was in love with Vespucci, which would not be surprising considering his burial request.
A more recent example of an overlooked muse is Dora Maar. While Maar was an artist in her own right, she is mostly known for being a muse and lover (terms that are often synonymous) of Pablo Picasso. She is depicted in Weeping Woman and Dora Maar Seated, among other Picasso paintings. Maar was both a successful painter and photographer.
Born Henriette Theodora Markovitch in 1907, Maar went on to become an influential surrealist artist. Her photograph, Père Ubu, became an emblem for the surrealist movement. While Maar was a talented photographer on the rise, her relationship with Picasso had negative effects on her art. Picasso convinced Maar to give up photography for painting because according to Picasso, “Photographers, along with dentists, are the two professions never satisfied with what they do. Every dentist would like to be a doctor and inside every photographer is a painter trying to get out.” While her relationship with Picasso affected her art, it also greatly impacted her mental health. Marie-Therese Walter was Picasso’s public mistress, with whom he shared a child, and Maar was his private mistress. These romances caused tension, and when Picasso began an affair with the young Francoise Gilot, Picasso and Maar’s relationship further deteriorated. Writer and researcher, Lottie Whalen explains, “As with his other lovers, Picasso sought to retain some control over her life long after their breakup: he continued to send Maar disturbing gifts, such as a chair made of steel rods and rope, and a ring, discovered after his death in a parcel addressed to Maar, which was engraved P-D (pour Dora) and featured a large spike attached to the inside.” After the end of her relationship with Picasso, Maar suffered the loss of both her mother, and her best friend, Nusch Eluard. Shortly thereafter, in 1946, Maar had a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized. At the psychiatric hospital, Maar was subjected to treatments such as electro-shock therapy. Eventually she recovered, receded from the spotlight, and turned to Roman Catholicism. At some point Marr began to display her artwork again. In 1997 she died of natural causes at the age of 89. Today, Maar is known as Picasso’s muse and lover, and is most often remembered as the woman depicted in Picasso’s Weeping Woman portrait, rather than the talented and influential artist she was. The title “Weeping Woman” depicts Maar as weak and emotional. This should not be her legacy. It is important to remember Maar as the artist she was, rather than through the art of Picasso.
The cliche “behind every great man is a great woman” (a sexist means of keeping women out of the spotlight) rings true for many artists. These women often remain overshadowed and forgotten. For every beautiful poem, song, or painting, there may be a woman who inspired the masterpiece but about whom the world will never know. History has a tendency to overlook women and the roles they play, or to alter their stories to fit certain narratives. We do a disservice to ourselves and to these women when we erase their stories or fail to learn their histories. It is important to give women the credit they deserve, but it is also beneficial to learn the true stories behind art in order to fully understand and appreciate these works.
