Why did Mona Lisa become the most famous painting in the world?

The portrait of Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre, protected by bulletproof glass and attracts thousands of visitors every day.

"Why is the Mona Lisa picture so famous?" is a tough question. The previous hypothesis was that it was famous for being the product of a famous painter, her mysterious smile, or the occult that happened around the painting.

However, this answer does not please the crowd. And the answer: "there is no reason" has been accepted by most people, according to Britannica. Accordingly, the popularity of the picture does not depend on a specific reason, but it is a combination of many reasons, different contexts.

Mona Lisa picture.

According to CNN, becoming famous all over the world is due to a daring theft, which took place over 100 years ago.

In 1911, a diligent worker of the Louvre, France was Vincenzo Peruggia who stole this painting. The theft is very simple. At that time, Vincenzo was hired to install protective goggles for the museum's precious paintings, among them the Mona Lisa. This man hid in a museum cabinet all night, and took the painting into his coat and walked out of the building. However, the building was locked. At that moment, a plumber walked over and had a key to open the door to the thief.

24 hours later, people discovered the disappearance of the painting. At that time, Louvre had more than 400 galleries, with 200 guards. Even at night, the number of guards is less and there is no alarm system.

When he stole the painting, Vincenzo himself never thought that this action helped the Mona Lisa shine. The French press had an unforgettable day. News of the theft appears on every newspaper page around the world. The image of the painting is also booming, everyone knows it. People began to scoff at the Paris government that was unable to manage the Louvre.

For the first time in the history of the Louvre, people lined up just to see the space where the painting was stolen . "The theft has made Mona Lisa widely known, even travelers who have never been to Europe or who do not pay attention to art. And it continues to be famous since then," Noah Charney, professor of the subject Art history and author of The Thefts of the Mona Lisa said.

During the next two years, French police were mobilized everywhere to hunt for the painting. Pablo Picasso is also suspected of being involved in the theft. The police even questioned Vincenzo twice, but removed him from the case because he thought the person was not motivated to make a reckless burglary. Paris police chief had to retire in shame.

The picture of the Mona Lisa is empty after the work was stolen at the Louvre (left) and the press described the moment it was suspended.Photo: CNN.

In December 1913, the police caught Vincezo and the Mona Lisa was found. The 32-year-old thief was sentenced to 7 months in prison. The reason for this theft is that he wants to return the picture of the Mona Lisa to Italy.

According to CNN, if Vincezo stole another picture on that fateful day, it could have been a very different story.

"If a Leonardo piece is stolen, it will be the most famous work in the world, not Mona Lisa," Noah Charney said.

"There is nothing to prove that the Mona Lisa is truly better than other works, in addition to being a beautiful work of a painting until it is stolen. The theft has spurred the appeal of the painting and Become famous".

The press at that time illustrated the process of Vincezo stealing paintings.(Photo: CNN).

When asked about the possibility, whether the Italian thief that year fell in love with Mona Lisa, Professor Noah said the answer was "Yes". He explained that some thieves suffer from reverse Stockholm syndrome (the hostage seer falls in love with the hostage. In the case of this picture, the hostage is a work of art).

Today, this masterpiece is likened to the "diamond" in the Louvre's crown, which attracts nearly 10 million visitors every year. It also became an immortal "muse" for many celebrities, from Andy Warhol's pop artworks to Dan Brown's best-selling novel - Da Vinci Code.

This work is also always the first name mentioned in the list of the most famous paintings in the world through all time. According to Culture Trip, artist Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece is priceless. In 1962, this painting was insured for $ 100 million. So far, that amount corresponds to 700 million and become the world's most expensive painting.