Mona Lisa Free Essays

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous painting in the world.   In fact, it is the most popular work of art in history.   Millions of people have visited the Louvre to view it. We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa or any similar topic only for you Order Now    Though it has been created in the 16th century, it has continued to be controversial at present.   This research paper aims to discuss the history of the painting, and the recent developments around it. It is believed that Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 (â€Å"History†).   The painting was finished four years after (â€Å"History†).   It was said that the painting was purchased by King Francois of France in 1516 for 4,000 coins of gold (â€Å"History†; Blake).   Francois I invited Leonardo to France â€Å"to work at Clos Lucà ©,† and the latter died after three years (Wallis 226; Blake).   The painting was eventually included in the monarch’s art collection, and was placed in the royal bathroom (Wallis 226). There had been speculation that the painting was reduced after Leonardo’s death, and that it originally had two columns on the sides (â€Å"History†).   However, art experts refute this claim.   During the French Revolution, it was said that Napoleon had placed the painting in his bedroom in Tuileries Palace (Blake).   Soon after, it was returned to the Lourve.   The Mona Lisa was temporarily hidden in a location in France in the duration of the Franco-Prussian War and World War II (Blake).   In 1963, the painting was brought to Washington, and was insured for $100 million dollars (Wallis 226).   At present, the painting can still be found in the museum, and is currently a property of the French government.   The painting also has a duplicate, which can be found in Dulwich Picture Gallery (â€Å"History†). In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre (Rosenberg 1).   The exact date of the theft was August 21st, but it was only the day after when the authorities noticed that the painting was missing (Rosenberg 1).   It was a painter who first discovered that the Mona Lisa was missing.   The painting was hung on Salon Carrà © of the Lourve and could be found between two other paintings: â€Å"The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine† by Correggio and â€Å"The Allegory of Alfonso d’Avalos† by Titian (Rosenberg 1). On August 22nd, Louis Bà ©roud only found iron pegs on the wall; the painting was missing (Rosenberg 1). On September 7th that same year, French poet Guillaume Apollinaire was arrested (Rosenberg 2).   He was considered a suspect simply because he was a friend of a known artifact thief named Gà ©ry Pià ©ret (Rosenberg 2).   He was released five days later.   Even world-famous painter Pablo Picasso was considered a suspect (Blake).   Two years had passed before there was any development regarding the theft (Rosenberg 2). In 1913, an antique dealer named Alfredo Geri placed an ad in the newspaper, stating that he was interested in purchasing art pieces (Rosenberg 3).   The thief responded to the ad and introduced himself as Leonardo Vincenzo, and he told Geri he had the Mona Lisa (Rosenberg 3).  Ã‚   Leonardo Vincenzo is actually Vincenzo Peruggia, a former Lourve employee (Rosenberg 3).   He worked in the museum in 1908, but he was still recognized by the museum’s security at the time of the theft.   He took the painting from the salon, proceeded to the staircase and detached the painting from its frame.   He hid the Mona Lisa under his smock, and left the museum unnoticed (Rosenberg 3). The Mona Lisa is an oil painting that measures at only 31 x 21 inches (Blake).   The painting is placed on a â€Å"poplar wooden panel† (Blake).   Leonardo used the sfumato method in painting the Mona Lisa (Blake).   In Italian, the term â€Å"sfumato† is â€Å"blended†; the word was derived from â€Å"fumo,† which means â€Å"smoke† (Blake). The Mona Lisa is a painting of a seated woman clothed in Florentine dress, against the backdrop of mountains (Blake).   It is the woman’s smile and gaze that have created much buzz around the painting.   The woman was said to be smiling because â€Å"the corners of her mouth was lifted† (Sebe qtd. in Campbell 51). As for her gaze, when the viewer looks unto her eyes, it seems like the woman in the painting is following the viewer’s gaze (â€Å"History†).   However, if there was one thing that brought much controversy to the painting, it would be the woman’s identity. The painting is also referred to as â€Å"La Gioconda† (Blake).   â€Å"Gioconda† in Italian means â€Å"light-hearted woman† (Blake).   The identity of the woman in the painting had been debated upon for centuries, and several speculations have arisen.   According to Maike Vogt-Là ¼erssen, Isabella of Aragon is the woman in the painting (Blake).   This is because her green dress has a pattern that implies membership in the â€Å"house of Visconti-Sforza† (Blake).  Ã‚   Vogt-Là ¼erssen also saw a likeness between the pictures of Isabella and the woman on the painting. On the other hand, Dr. Lilian Schwartz hints that the woman in the painting may not actually be a woman; rather, it may be Leonardo himself (Blake).   This conclusion was derived from a digital analysis of the painting and Leonardo’s portrait, which was found to have been painted in a similar style. It was only until recently that the identity of the woman in the painting was revealed.   In January 2008, Heidelberg University academics have proven that the woman in the painting was Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo (Lorenzi 1).   The proof was found on the margins of a book, and derived from notes by Agostino Vespucci in October 1503 (Lorenzi 1). Vespucci was a friend of Leonardo; in his notes, he stated that Leonardo was working on several paintings, which included that of Lisa del Giocondo (Lorenzi 1).   Lisa was the wife of a silk merchant from Florence named Francesco del Giocondo (Lorenzi 1).   That is the reason why Mona Lisa is the name of the painting; it means Madam Lisa, since â€Å"mona† means â€Å"madam† or â€Å"my lady† in Italian (â€Å"History†). The mystery of the painting may have been revealed, but this surely does not diminish the public’s interest in the Mona Lisa.   It has been one of the most significant artworks in history, and will continue to do so in centuries to come. WORKS CITED Blake, Diana. â€Å"The Mona Lisa.† Art History Site. 2008. BellaOnline. 1 April 2008 ;http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art18406.asp;. Campbell, Michael. â€Å"What’s Behind The Smile?† Arts Antiques October 2006: 51. â€Å"History Pictures Of The Mona Lisa By Leonardo Da Vinci.† Art History Guide. 1 April 2008 http://www.arthistoryguide.com/Mona_Lisa.aspx. Lorenzi, Rossella. â€Å"Mona Lisa’s Identity Confirmed by Document.† Discovery News. 2008. Discovery Communications. 1 April 2008 ;http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/16/mona-lisa-identity.html;. Rosenberg, Jennifer. â€Å"The Mona Lisa Was Stolen!† About.com. 2008. The New York Times Company. 1 April 2008 ;http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/a/monalisa.htm;. Wallis, Denis. Why in the World? Australia: Reader’s Digest Pty Limited, 1994.       How to cite Mona Lisa, Essay examples Mona Lisa Free Essays Painted by internationally renowned artist Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, is one of the considered milestones in the field of art. Mona Lisa has a dimension of   77 Ãâ€" 53 cm, 30 Ãâ€" 21 inches. It was painted in a canvas by using oil as a medium and was made in Italy but was later moved to France. We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa or any similar topic only for you Order Now Entitled, Mona Lisa, the artwork is a portrait of a woman which has been said and considered as a signifier of being a woman. The painting is also one of the most talked-about and controversial up to today even if it was made in as early as the 16th century. More so, the painting has been evoking different kinds of interpretations. If the work was not treated as it is now, I think, the interpretation of course would also change. If Mona Lisa was laughing in the painting, the mystery behind the classical painting would not an issue. The painting might not even be popular as it is today. The controversial painting is also capable of evoking feelings. The smile of the subject in Da Vinci’s artwork has been a topic of debate among those who already viewed the painting. There are actually different feelings that could be evoked dependent on who views the painting. But I think the painting suggests a very calm emotion. Meanwhile, going on the formal elements of the art work, the painter used a â€Å"pyramid design† in coming up with the painting. This means that the painter merely placed his subject within a calm space in the painting. The composition of the painting itself suggested an ambiguous effect which caused the viewers to have different interpretations. The darker elements in the painting like the hair and the veil practically served as the frame in the portrait. Also, the painting appeared to have a graceful atmosphere due to the lines employed in the painting. There were blurred lines to inject, perhaps, additional effects. The line, also, regulated the composition as a whole and made the painting more excellent as they were artistically done to succumb to the traditions of doing an art work. The space in the painting would serve as the â€Å"breathing room† of the subject. Without enough space, the shape would be difficult to distinguish or see. On the other hand, the dark and light tones served as an indicator for the viewer which aspect of the painting did the painter intended to emphasize in his work. In this case, lighter tones in Mona Lisa’s face were used to convey that the face was the very subject of the art work. The tonal contrast was also held in minimum. Shadows of brown were predominantly employed in the art work. The imaginary landscape in the subject’s background appeared to be important also. The texture of the painting, especially Mona Lisa’s face deserved to be scrutinized carefully. The texture was very unique and different. In addition, the painting has a balanced symmetry which gave an impression of formality. Likewise, there was a significant visual rhythm like the subject’s background. The elements of the art work seem proportional. The tones of the painting made it easier to glean what the emphasis of the painting was. If there were pure dark tones, it would be hard to identify which was the focus of the painting; hence, there would be a different interpretation. Generally, the artist’s choice of the medium has an impact on the presentation of the unified art work. The medium, of course, was chosen for the painter to give effects that would be most effective in his chosen medium. Mona Lisa was just talking about a woman—or could be viewed the women of the society as a whole. The content could mean power and reverence to women as opposed by the fragile-appearing subject.   The intention of the artist is to project how calm a woman is—and how mysterious a woman could be. The colors that were chosen, the choice of light and dark tones were enough justifications for the intentions of the painter. The art work itself is a symbolism for feminism as claimed by some researchers. Other than that, no other underpinning meanings could be inferred from the work. The title was said to be from the name of the wife the wealthy Francesco del Giocondo. He was a wealthy Florentine whose wife’s name was Lisa Gherardini. Meanwhile, â€Å"Mona† refers to Madam. Francesco was a friend of the painter’s father. The painting did not seem to convey any significant social issue. It was a portrait for the sake of aesthetics, per se.   For me, the painting is a symbol of being a woman; a fragile and clam woman to be exact—who should be revered in the society. Reference: Associated Press, 19 January 2007.’Mona Lisa’ died in 1542, was buried in convent, Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 19, 2007. Cohen, P. (2004, June 23). Noisy secret of Mona Lisa’s smile. New Scientist. Journal reference: Vision Research (vol 44, p 1493). Retrieved on June 20, 2006. de Martino, M. (2003). Mona Lisa – Who is hidden behind the woman with the moustache? Retrieved on June 20, 2006.                How to cite Mona Lisa, Essay examples Mona Lisa Free Essays The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous and intriguing painting of all time. This painting was created by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503 to 1504. This painting is oil on panel and is 77 X 53 cm (Phaidon, 1994). We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is a very naturalistic painting and is the greatest painting created in the renaissance era. The Mona Lisa has been one of the most debated paintings of all time. The look on the face of the women in this painting leaves a person’s mind wondering. No one really knows what this mysterious woman is thinking or feeling. Is she in love, sad or scared? hese questions will never be answered. This is what makes this painting so famous. The smirk on the face of the Mona Lisa is the key to making the painting so interesting. The second part that makes the painting so interesting is who the Mona Lisa is, was she Leonardo’s love, mistress, friend or a maid. One of the more wondered questions today is if the Mona Lisa is a man dressed as a woman or a woman (Phaidon, 1994). All these small details make the painting stand out by being different and remarkable. Leonardo created this painting using all the elements and principles of art. The Mona Lisa has a very classical composition. A person is so intrigued by the painting that their eyes never leave the canvas. This painting is so special because of the type of color that Da Vinci created. This type of painting is called Sfumato, which is a type of shading that allowed him to shade differently (Phaidon, 1994). The color is a darker Hue, which also makes the painting even more interesting and Da Vinci has used a large amount of warm color. The lines in this painting are very precise and on point. The Mona Lisa has a geometric shape to it, the woman being the center focusing point in the painting. This painting was created with a symmetrical balance and the rhythm of the painting is very flowing, only having one basic focusing point (Wikipedia , 2009). . The Mona Lisa is a very strong piece of visual art. The fact that there is simply just one woman and nothing to compare her to painting makes her even more interesting. She is judged and studied in so many different ways because of the fact that she is smirking and her smoldering eyes. In a way the weaknesses of the painting might also be this. There will be no way to ever tell what the Mona Lisa is thinking or what she is staring at in such a way that a person can’t take their eyes from it. This painting is going to be discussed and studied by people for years and years to come. The mystery and the theories behind the painting are what is going to keep it so interesting to people for years to come. The lines and composition help the picture be so eye catching and creative. This beautiful painting will continue being an artistic mysterious to the rest of the world for the rest of time. How to cite Mona Lisa, Papers Mona Lisa Free Essays I have chosen the Mona Lisa to analyze. The portrait of Mona Lisa is also known as La Giaconda, she was the wife of Francesco del Giaconda. This painting was done in oil paints on poplar wood by Leonardo ad Vinci from the year 1503 to 1506. We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa or any similar topic only for you Order Now The dimensions of this painting are 76. 2 x 53. 3 CM. The painting is now in the Muse du Louvre in Paris. The Mona Lisa is a painting of a woman, dressed in a dark green dress with her hands overlapping. The background of the painting is a mountainous landscape. The whole painting is a remarkable example of Leonardo suffuse technique of painting. Suffuse is the blurred outline and mellowed colors that allow one form to merge with another and always leave something to our imagination. This is a technique that only Leonardo perfected. Other famous painters such as Van Eyes, Antenna, and Poetical tried, but were unsuccessful in duplicating Leonardo technique. The Mona Lisa has been analyzed over and over by many intelligent people who have theories about the painting, and TTS mysterious appearance. It is the expression on the face of the Mona Lisa that seems to be attractive yet distant; these qualities have given the portrait universal fame. Leonardo deliberately used suffuse technique in the corners of the mouth and around the eyes leaving them indistinct by letting them merge into a soft shadow. What strikes us first about the Mona Lisa is the amazing degree to which she looks alive. She really seems to look at us and to have a mind of her own. Like a living Ewing, she seems to change before our eyes and to look a little different each time she is viewed. This is one of the reasons that the Mona Lisa is greatly admired, and is copied all over the world. If we look carefully at the Mona Lisa we will see that the two sides do not quite match. This is most obvious in the landscape in the background. The horizon on the left side seems to lie much lower that the one on the right. When we look at the left side of the woman she appears to be taller than if we look at the right side. Her face seems to change depending which side we are focusing on, because even here the two sides do not match. Many years ago people looked at portraits with wonder, because they had thought that in preserving the likeness the artist could preserve the soul of the person. In my opinion the Mona Lisa was a turning point in the art of expression, because of suffuse technique of Leonardo do Vinci. Today the Mona Lisa is still one of the most beautiful, and mysterious works of art, as it is still being analyzed to this day. Mona Lisa By Stretches How to cite Mona Lisa, Papers Mona Lisa Free Essays The Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa is 16th century oil painting created by the renowned Leonardo da Vinci. The work of art depicts an enigmatic woman gazing at the viewer, and it is said that if you move across the room while looking into her eyes, they’ll follow you. It is definitely one of the most popular paintings worldwide and has been the center of many artistic, religious, and theoretical debates. We will write a custom essay sample on Mona Lisa or any similar topic only for you Order Now The French government currently owns the Mona Lisa and it is featured at the Musee du Louvre in Paris. The painting can also be referred to as La Gioconda or La Joconde. The name of the painting stems from the name of the woman in the portrait, Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy businessman in Florence, Italy named Francesco del Giocondo. Mona means ‘my lady’ or ‘madam’ in modern Italian, so the title is simply Madam Lisa. Art historians agree that Leonardo da Vinci likely began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503, and completed it within 4 years. In 1516 the King of France, King Francois, bought the painting and it is thought that after Leonardo’s death the painting was cut down. Some speculators think that the original had columns on both sides of the lady, whereas other art critics believe that the painting was never cut down in size. It has been suggested that there were 2 versions of the Mona Lisa painting, but many historians reject the second version. The duplicate copy can be found at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. After the French revolution the painting was moved to the Louvre, and Napoleon had it placed in his bedroom for a short time before it was returned to the Louvre. The popularity of the Mona Lisa increased in the mid 19th century because of the Symbolist movement. The painting was thought to encompass a sort of feminine mystique. Spoliarium Painting by Juan Luna An oil painting on poplar, the Spoliarium was painted by  Juan Luna  in Rome in 1884, winning the second prize at the Madrid Academy Exhibition of Oil Paintings. The Municipality of Barcelona purchased this chef d? oeuvre for the City Hall. It is arguably the most internationally renowned piece of modern Filipino art. Today, it can be viewed in the main gallery located on he ground floor of the National Museum of the Philippines. The  Spoliarium  is very large, measuring four meters in height and seven meters in width. The painting depicts the bodies of dead gladiators   being dragged from a Roman arena. On the left side are spectators, while on the far right is a woman with her back turned to the scene, her back partially uncovered. The painting’s title is often misspe lled as Spolarium. In ancient Rome, the word  spoliarium  referred to the Coliseum’s morgue. Girl Before A Mirror, 1903 by Pablo Picasso This painting was painted in March 1932. It was produced in the style Picasso was using at the time and evoked an image of Vanity such as had been utilized in art in earlier eras, though Picasso shifts the emphasis and creates a very different view of the image. The work is considered in terms of the erotic in Picasso’s art, and critics in different periods have offered their assessments of the work to show a wide range of reactions. The young girl was named Marie Therese Walter and was painted multiple times during the 1930’s by Picasso. â€Å"Girl Before a Mirror† was painted during Picasso’s cubism period. Picasso was an artist that was very bold with his artwork. Even with backgrounds that are normally placed to be a backdrop and mainly they’re to assist the main subject. He includes it within the painting to make it just as intense as the main focal point of the image. When you look closely at the image, you can interpret many different symbols within different parts of the painting. The woman’s face for one; is painted with a side profile and a full frontal image. One side shows the day time where she seems more like a woman, dolled up with her make up done. The other side with the rough charcoal texture portrays her at night. When she takes off the mask of makeup, and is more vulnerable as a young lady. One way of interpreting the painting is when the woman looks at herself in the mirror; she is seeing herself as an old woman. From the green discoloration on her forehead, darkening of her facial features to the lines that show that her young body has been distorted, and gravity has taken its rightful place. Another way of viewing the painting is that she is self-conscious, and she sees all the flaws in herself that the world doesn’t see. ————————————————- The Last Supper  (Leonardo da Vinci) The Last Supper| | Artist| Leonardo da Vinci| Year| 1495–1498| Type| tempera  on  gesso,  pitch  and  mastic| Dimensions| 460  cm ? 880  cm (181  in ? 346  in)| Location| Santa Maria delle Grazie,  Milan| The Last Supper  (Italian:  Il Cenacolo  or  L’Ultima Cena) is a 15th centurymural  painting in  Milan  created by  Leonardo da Vinci  for his patron  DukeLudovico Sforza  and his duchess  Beatrice d’Este. It represents the scene of  The Last Supper  from the final days of  Jesus  as it is told in theGospel of John  13:21, when Jesus announces that one of his  Twelve Disciples  would betray him. ———————————————— The painting The Last Supper  measures 450 ? 870 cm (15  feet ? 29  ft) and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of  Santa Maria delle Grazie  in Milan,  It aly. The theme was a traditional one for  refectories, although the room was not a refectory at the time that Leonardo painted it. The main church building had only recently been completed (in 1498), but was remodeled by  Bramante, hired by  Ludovico Sforza  to build a Sforza family mausoleum. The painting was commissioned by Sforza to be the centerpiece of the mausoleum. The  lunettes  above the main painting, formed by the triple arched ceiling of the refectory, are painted with  Sforza  coats-of-arms. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered by the  Crucifixion  fresco by  Giovanni Donato da Montorfano, to which Leonardo added figures of the Sforza family in tempera. (These figures have deteriorated in much the same way as has  The Last Supper. ) Leonardo began work on  The Last Supper  in 1495 and completed it in 1498—he did not work on the painting continuously. This beginning date is not certain, as â€Å"the archives of the convent have been destroyed and our meagre documents date from 1497 when the painting was nearly finished. †Ã‚  One story goes that a prior from the monastrey complained to Leonardo about the delay, enraging him. He wrote to the head of the monastery, explaining he had been struggling to find the perfect villainous face for Judas, and that if he could not find a face corresponding with what he had in mind, he would use the features of the prior who complained. The Last Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. The apostles are identified from a  manuscript (The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci  p. 232) with their names found in the 19th century. (Before this, only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus were positively identified. ) From left to right, according to the apostles heads: * Bartholomew,  James, son of Alphaeus  and  Andrew  form a group of three, all are surprised. Judas Iscariot,  Peter  and  John  form another group of three. Judas is wearing green and blue and is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as treasurer. [7]  He is also tipping over t he salt shaker. This may be related to the near-Eastern expression to â€Å"betray the salt† meaning to betray one’s Master. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is also horizontally the lowest of anyone in the painting. Peter looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus’ arrest. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon. * Jesus. * Apostle  Thomas,  James the Greater  and  Philip  are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation. * Matthew,  Jude Thaddeus  and  Simon the Zealot  are the final group of three. Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions. In common with other depictions of The Last Supper from this period, Leonardo seats the diners on one side of the table, so that none of them have their backs to the viewer. Most previous depictions excluded Judas by placing him alone on the opposite side of the table from the other eleven disciples and Jesus or placing halos around all the disciples except Judas. Leonardo instead has Judas lean back into shadow. Jesus is predicting that his betrayer will take the bread at the same time he does to Saints Thomas and James to his left, who react in horror as Jesus points with his left hand to a piece of bread before them. Distracted by the conversation between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread not noticing Jesus too stretching out with his right hand towards it (Matthew 26: 23). The angles and lighting draw attention to Jesus, whose head is located at the  vanishing point  for all perspective lines. The painting contains several references to the number 3, which represents the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity. The Apostles are seated in groupings of three; there are three windows behind Jesus; and the shape of Jesus’ figure resembles a triangle. There may have been other references that have since been lost as the painting deteriorated. ————————————————- Medium Leonardo da Vinci painted  The Last Supper  on a dry wall rather than on wet  plaster, so it is not a true  fresco. Because a fresco cannot be modified as the artist works, Leonardo instead chose to seal the stone wall with a layer of  pitch,  gesso  and  mastic, then paint onto the sealing layer with  tempera. Because of the method used, the piece began to deteriorate a few years after Leonardo finished it. INA AT ANAK Fernando Amorsolo is one of The Greatest Filipino Painters of all time. He has done numerous paintings which has catched the fancy of many people. One of his masterpieces is the painting â€Å"Ina at Anak†. If we translate the title into English, it means Mother and Child. This painting shows to us the love between the mother and child. It shows to us the bond that exists between the two. It is often said that nothing encompasses the love between a mother and a child. From birth, the mother has paintakingly taken care of her child, giving him food, shelter, and clothing. From the long hours of labor in the delivery room to the time the child sets foot in College, the mother is there, supporting and caring for her child. This painting clearly shows how much a mother cares for her child. As seen in the painting, the mother carefully hold her child, making sure that she has a firm hold on him so that he won’t be in any danger. A mother will even go to the point of sacrificing her own life for the sake of her child. That is how much a mother loves her child. Amorsolo manificently depicted the bond between a mother and a child in this painting. How to cite Mona Lisa, Essay examples