Computer decodes Mona Lisa's smile

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-12-17 02:18am

(CNN) -- Scientists analyzed the portrait of the Mona Lisa, a woman with famously mixed emotions, hoping to unlock her smile. They applied emotion recognition software that measures a person's mood by examining features such as the curve of the lips and the crinkles around the eyes.

The findings? Mona Lisa was 83 percent happy, 9 percent disgusted, 6 percent fearful, and 2 percent angry, according to the British weekly "New Scientist."

Still, scientists will probably never know what made her feel the way she did.

The computer software, developed by Nicu Sebe at the University of Amsterdam and researchers at the University of Illinois, examines key facial features, the journal reports.

Sebe loaded average, neutral expressions of female faces into a database, which the software used to compare the painting against, says the "New Scientist" Web site.

Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece is housed at the Louvre, in Paris, France, and is the museum's top draw.

The Mona Lisa -- called La Gioconda in Italian and La Joconde in French -- has captivated and mystified the art world for centuries.

The portrait was painted in Florence, Italy, between 1503 and 1506, according to the Louvre's Web site.

Historians have long debated Mona Lisa's identity, with theories ranging from being Da Vinci's mother, a self-portrait or a Florentine prostitute.

Research conducted in 2004 support a claim first made almost 500 years ago -- that she really existed and that she was the wife of a rich silk merchant.

Smile

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2005-12-17 02:39am

The findings? Mona Lisa was 83 percent happy, 9 percent disgusted, 6 percent fearful, and 2 percent angry, according to the British weekly "New Scientist."

Still, scientists will probably never know what made her feel the way she did.

Obviously, this combination is a result of being painted while Leonardo was in the nude.

Waddles McGee · Post by **Waddles McGee** » 2005-12-17 04:33am

Obviously, this combination is a result of being painted while Leonardo was in the nude.

You forgot to mention drunk.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-17 04:41am

What a worthless study. Basically they were able to determine that she was smiling. Well no shit, Sherlocks, we've already known that for five hundred years. We're not supposed to know why she's smiling, anyway. It's not once-known information that's been lost, but something that was unknown from the beginning and which is utterly impossible to determine.

Stanley Kubrick once said the following while discussing 2001 that has kind of stuck in my head since I read it:

"How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she is hiding a secret from her lover.' This would shackle the viewer to reality, and I don't want this to happen to 2001."

Raw Shark · Post by **Raw Shark** » 2005-12-17 07:25am

I'm still a fan of the self-portrait theory. Not because of any actual evidence beyond this half-baked show I saw on late night cable once where they used computer imaging to compare the facial bone structures so much as the comedy factor. "Oh Leonardo, this woman you painted is so enchanting and mysterious!" "Why thank you."

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2005-12-17 07:29am

What a worthless study.

Not for whoever made that recognition software. A news story like this can do wonders for further research budgets.