More than 400 years separate these works, which represent two of the crowning creations of the geniuses who created them. ‘La Gioconda’, by the Florentine polymath Leonardo da Vinciand ‘La Chiquita Piconera’, which the Cordoban painter captured Julio Romero de Torres, … They have multiple similarities; ‘The Mona Lisa’ served as inspiration for the Spanish symbolist, who took references from Lisa Gherardini’s portrait for what has been considered his pictorial testament.
The first point in common is the object of the painting: it is two female representations who star in two works. And they do it by focusing the viewer’s gaze on them, capturing it. Furthermore, the two artists showed a deep interest in the representation of the human figure, especially in the case of women.
Secondly, both protagonists have a enigmatic facial expression. Mona Lisa’s smile is one of the most intriguing features of Da Vinci’s painting. Countless studies have attempted to unravel the mysterious expression. Many have concluded that the artist used a painting technique that makes the human eye believe that the expression portrayed is changing.
In the case of ‘La Chiquita Piconera’, the gaze of the protagonist, direct, without contemplation, with a serious countenance, has also been the subject of interpretations. The model look penetrating, not at infinity as in classical painting, but in a direct and close way.
In the use of the light and color Similarities can also be drawn between both creations. Both Leonardo da Vinci in ‘La Gioconda’ and Julio Romero de Torres in ‘La Chiquita Piconera’ use techniques that play with both elements to create captivating atmospheres. In both works, you can see warm tones and special attention to lighting that enhances the beauty and sensuality of the figures represented.
The backgrounds of the two works also bear a certain similarity, with suggestive landscapes: in that of Romero de Torres, a Córdoba wrapped in mist; in Da Vinci’s, a landscape using the aerial perspective and without a clearly defined vanishing point, which the latest research has indicated as the city of Bobbio, Italy, and in which the representation of the Vecchio bridge stands out.
Explorers of emotions
The much used technique of ‘sfumato’ by Da Vinci, which involves the application of multiple thin, transparent layers of paint to create smooth transitions between tones and achieve a blurring effect, was used in many other paintings by Romero de Torres.
Both geniuses showed in their works a deep interest in explore psychology and emotions. Da Vinci was a pioneer in depicting realistic facial expressions, while Romero de Torres was also notable for his ability to capture the mood of his models.
Keeping their distance, both authors showed throughout their lives curiosity about various disciplines. Although the Florentine not only showed interest, but he has gone down in history for standing out as a painter, anatomist, architect, paleontologist, botanist, writer, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, inventor, musician, poet and urban planner; Romero de Torres’ work reflects a deep sensitivity towards music, poetry and popular culture.
