Have you ever had theimpression that, looking at a paintingThe person’s eyes retracted follow you as you walk around the room? You wouldn’t be the first: this is a real optic effectwhich gives us the impression that the eyes of the subject of a work of art or a photograph are following us with their gaze. It is called “Mona Lisa Effect” (Mona Lisa Effect”, translated into Italian) and originates from the magnetic gaze of the Mona Lisa, or Gioconda, masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci datable to 1503-1506.
This effect, however, does not happen with all portraits, but only if the person portrayed looks straight ahead out of the picturewith a gaze angle of 0 degrees. As the angle of the gaze increases, however, the impression of being observed gradually fades and after 5 degrees of inclination it is completely lost.
“Strangely enough, we don’t have to stand directly in front of the image to feel like we’re being looked at, even if the person in the image is looking straight ahead,” said Dr. Sebastian Loth, a member of the Social Cognitive Systems research group. It was this department that discovered how, in fact, Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, now kept at the Louvreyou don’t fit the criteria for the effect that bears its name. Let’s see why.
How did researchers prove that the Mona Lisa’s eyes do not follow the viewer? Well, by conducting a series of experiments: respecting the rule of the inclination of the gaze, using folding rulers for measurement, and collecting over 2,000 evaluations from a study group. The result? “The participants in our study had the impression that the Mona Lisa was looking towards their right side.. More specifically, the gaze angle was 15.4 degrees on average,” says Gernot Horstmann, author of the study. “So, it is clear that the term ‘Mona Lisa Effect’ is nothing more than a misnomer“.
So why do many people believe that the Mona Lisa’s gaze is following them? Horstmann has hypothesized that the basis of the suggestion (and therefore the name of the effect) could simply be the people’s desire to be seen. The myth and mysterious charm of the Mona Lisa and its author would have done the rest. The Gioconda, on the other hand, is the most famous painting in the world and is assigned several mysteries, starting with the subject, most likely Lisa Gherardini (known as Monna, meaning Madonna, Lisa), wife of the Italian nobleman and merchant Francesco del Giocondo (hence the name). And then again, many hypotheses have been made about which part of Italy the background represents: the latest idea is that it is Lake Como. There could even be some mysterious symbols in her eyes: inside them, two little letters seem to have been hidden, perhaps Leonardo’s initials “LV”. In short, Mona Lisa Effect aside, the painting will continue to arouse emotions and spark theories and debates.
