Page 33 - Reading Success B3

The painting, Mona Lisa, is the most famous painting in the world. Leonardo Da
Vinci, a brilliant artist and inventor, painted the Mona Lisa in the 1500s. Da Vinci is

Italian, but the painting is owned by the French government and hangs in the
Musee du Louvre in Paris. The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, by

a former employee who believed the painting belonged in Italy. The thief walked
out of the gallery with the picture underneath his painter’s smock. He was

apprehended by the police two years later, and the painting was safely returned.
The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the

viewer’s with an expression often described as enigmatic. People all over the
world have seen Mona Lisa’s smile. But nobody knows for sure who she is! Some

biographers say that Leonardo was hired by a rich resident of Florence, Italy to
make a portrait of his wife. The wife’s name was Madam Lisa Giocondo, which

could explain the painting’s name. But historians haven’t found proof of any of
this. Da Vinci kept the painting with him until his death. If he was only hired to

paint it, why would he keep it with him? Some people say that Mona Lisa is
actually a self-portrait. We may never know for sure.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting the Mona Lisa

b. Leonardo Da Vinci as a brilliant artist and famous inventor
c. an incident of hiding the Mona Lisa under a painter’s smock

d. biographies about Leonardo Da Vinci

36_Reading Success B 3