Fine Art Magazine June 18

Mona Lisa, Original on Aluminium 24” x 32” £12,500 Paul Normansell is one of the country’s most celebrated painters of iconic figures, from musicians and movie stars to royalty; but recently he decided to take on a rather different challenge with stunning homage to a face we all recognise - but of a person who we know almost nothing about… The Mona Lisa is an extraordinary phenomenon. While the faces of Marilyn, Batman or the Queen are famous all over the world thanks to modern technology and media, 500 years ago things were rather different. And yet, a picture painted by a young Italian genius in 1503 is still one of the most famous faces in the world. In fact, it has so permeated popular culture that the face of the sitter is as iconic as any 20th or 21st century star. It is thought to be a portrait of a woman called Lisa Gherardini and was owned by King Francis I of France, but has been on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797 and is the most visited work of art in the world. It is also one of the most valuable, holding the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history which currently stands at $800 million. Paul’s witty and brilliant painting reinterprets and enhances the colours of the famously enigmatic expression, the luxurious drape of the clothes and the unusual landscape backdrop to create a fascinating modern twist on a Renaissance masterpiece. P A U L N O R M A N S E L L MO N A L I S A 22 PAUL NORMANSELL ARTIST FEATURE