Show Mona Lisa Painting Is Most Widely Discussed Most widely discussed perhaps of a all l paintings in the literature of art is Leonardo da Vinci's famous masterpiece Mona Lisa a priceless priceless priceless price price- less possession of the Louvre Mellowed Mellowed Mellowed Mel Mel- lowed and darkened with age but triumphant over decay and devastation devastation devastation devas devas- tation writes a Paris correspondent correspond correspond- ent in the Chicago Tribune this celebrated painting occupies a rather rath rath- er inconspicuous place on a wall of the historic Paris gallery yet gallery yet thousands thousands thou- thou f sands seek it out annually to observe observe observe ob- ob serve for themselves the womans woman's i I l i face which has presented a mystery to the world for more than years Gossip and fable have made this remarkable woman a subtle and uncanny uncanny uncanny un un- un- un canny charmer a veritable sphinx whose trace of a smile long ago ensnared ensnared ensnared en en- snared the soul of a notable artist and caused him little by little to create an unfathomable riddle Itis It Itis Itis is this trace of a smile that no one oney y yet t to this day has been able to explain with any great de degree ree of certainty Enigmatic is the term most often applied to it What is back of the smile no one knows yet volumes have been written written written writ writ- ten about it Perhaps much has been discovered in this famous painting that was outside the thoughts of the artist himself We Wedo Wedo Wedo do know however that Da Vinci treasured the masterpiece that it actually represented the expressions and perhaps the yearnings of his own soul and that he refused to part with it to the very moment of his death Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest of the old masters Born in Vinci near the city of Florence in 1452 he died in France where he was in the employ of King Francis Francis Fran Fran- J cis I in 1519 I y |