Exploration Document Draft

Exploration Document Draft
Latoya Cumberbatch Miles
HUM200
Cultural Artifacts
The two artifacts that I used are Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ and Frida Kahlo’s Self-
Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. Both the portraits have elements of deep
mystery around them that seems unsolvable and presents the viewers with reverence and awe.
Common Theme
In my opinion, the themes of both the paintings fall under the category of mystery. Frida Kahlo
expresses reality of what she was going through when she created this portrait. The symbolism
that she used to create this piece adds to the mystery of what’s being expressed. She used images
that one would consider eerie and mysterious, to express what she felt while she was creating the
vision.
DaVinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’, reaches a level of mysteriousness that is captured perfectly in the
painting. We see a woman who is sitting facing the viewer with a slight smirk on her face. The
legibility of the smirk is hotly debated (Mona Lisa | Subject, History, & Facts.,w 2019). I believe
he was trying to capture the ideas of beauty, grace, and happiness. Leonardo created a simple
portrait of who historians have considered it to be known as a Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of
Francesco del Giocondo, a silk merchant.
Personal Experience
Personally, I have encountered a lot of things that has me wanting to know more about the
mysteries of life and overcome the fear of the unknown. My personal experience with the
aforementioned Kahlo portrait was my ability to relate to how she felt as when she was creating
this portrait. She was depressed and was going through a trying time in her life when she would
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create the reality of her living. She strategically incorporated the symbolism that she looked at to
highlight the strength that she believed in. From the thorn necklace that signifies the pain that she
was going though, which also relates back to Christ when he was being carried on the cross. As
we all go through trials and tribulations with life, it’s always a way that we use symbolism to
channel how we feel and how to cope and come to terms with the realities of life. When it comes
to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa Painting, for me, his painting signifies a mystery of who the
woman is and that she seems to be either happy or sad. That’s what I feel is most relatable to me
because there’s a fine line between being happy and sad. I feel like both paintings holds
mysteries that we often go through in life and how we choose to display it.
Profession
Art is a therapeutic method that has been known to help people with mental illness cope with
their issues that they had suppressed (Ketch et al, 2015). My theme relates best to the mental
health profession. I believe through art it is a way of expressing feeling that have been
suppressed. Allowing yourself to express one’s thoughts and feelings on to a canvas is a
therapeutic way to help release any anxiety or stress that one is feeling (Chiang, Reid-Varley &
Fan, 2019). Many great artists have suffered from depression that resulted in having great stories
that was hidden in their creative work. Therapeutic art is thus finding solid ground for testing and
evaluation and many places even use art therapy as an additional treatment for individuals with
severe depression (Blomdahl, Guregård, Rusner, & Wijk, 2018).
Humanities Resources
Of the three sources I will be providing, one is a case study on Frida Kahlo and Leonardo da
Vinci. The second, an article titled ‘Creative art therapy for mental illness’ will speak on how art
can help people who suffer from mental health issues and how it is being use as a therapeutic
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method to help treat depression. The final resource is a Britannica article titled ‘Mona Lisa,
subject, History and Facts.
Historical Context
"Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa about 1503, and it was in his studio when he
died in 1519. He likely worked on it intermittently over several years, adding multiple layers of
thin oil glazes at different times. The thinner glazes correspond to Leonardo’s late period. French
King Francis I, in whose court Leonardo spent the last years of his life, acquired the work after
the artist’s death, and it has become part of the royal collection. The following centuries saw the
painting change numerous powerful hands before the Mona Lisa was installed in the Louvre
Museum at the turn of the 19th century.
Although Kahlo’s 1940 painting was small (about 16x24), it draws lots of interests, since it
contains a variety of miniscule aspects. In this portrait, Frida Kahlo faces the viewer with
background of large green leaves and a yellow leaf right behind her. The thorns are around her
bleeding neck like a necklace which is held by a black monkey. On the right side, behind her
shoulder, is a black cat. A humming bird is hanging on the thorn which knots around her throat.
Her expression is calm and solemn as if she is patiently enduring the pain ("Self-Portrait with
Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940, By Frida Kahlo", 2019). Frida Kahlo was using these
symbolic elements to express her feelings. A bird is often symbolized as freedom and life. But in
this painting, the hummingbird is black and lifeless. Frida spent most of her life in physical pain
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