A lot of proverbial ink has been spilled suggesting that the success of the Mona Lisa is her mysterious expression. While that's true, an additional idea occurred to me that I'd like to share.

The virgin & child motif is one of the most compelling and ubiquitous pieces of art. I believe this is not just due to its religious value, but its universal biological appeal: the simple theme of mother and child.

The Mona Lisa, I feel, is a sort of virgin without the child. In terms of composition, it's strikingly similar to depictions of Mary. Yes, secular portraits of everyday people had already existed since antiquity. But they weren't that common (yet) in the Renaissance. In fact, they wouldn't become so common until the Dutch painters in Protestant low countries made them so.

So here we have a woman, looking very much in the style of your typical virgin painting, without the child. It's instantly mysterious and intriguing. Where is the child? Something is missing from the picture...we can feel it. It's a sort of bareness that gives the viewer pause and adds to the air of mystery.

What do you think?