📙 Part 2: Describe a painting

This episode's vocabulary

The easy way out (idiom) - what is easiest in a difficult situation.

Portrait (noun) - a painting, photograph, drawing, etc. of a person or, less commonly, of a group of people.

To reprint (verb) - to print a book again, or to be printed again.

Ubiquitous (adj.) - seeming to be everywhere.

Widespread (adj.) - existing or happening in many places and/or among many people.

Slippery (adj.) - if something is slippery, it is wet or smooth so that it slides easily or causes something to slide.

To evoke (verb) - to make someone remember something or feel an emotion.

Depiction (noun) - the way that something is represented or shown.

Metaphysical (adj.) - relating to the part of philosophy that is about understanding existence and knowledge.

Questions and Answers

R: I think I'll take the easy way out and just talk about the Mona Lisa. It's a pretty well-known painting. I think it's a portrait, actually. You may have seen it yourself since it's so famous. As for when I first saw it, it's hard to say since it's so ubiquitous, probably when I was very, very young, like primary school age. However, it's been around for hundreds of years and reprinted in almost every way you could care to think of. Which is, well, why it's so widespread now. It's a painting of a young woman, or I think she is young anyway, sitting with a very slight smile on her face, you can only see her upper body. And in the background, there is a view of the outdoors. I can't describe that very well, actually, because the main focus is clearly the person. She's taking up centre stage. Since it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci who was himself Italian, I think, it would make sense that she's also Italian. I'm sure it's an oil painting. So the colours are quite dark compared to modern art. It must have been quite difficult to do now I think about it, because oil is quite a slippery substance. So I don't know how that works. When it comes to my personal feelings about the painting, it evokes a sense of mystery about what the woman is smiling about, and who she even is, to be honest. I have no idea anyway. Because of that, I find myself quite drawn to it. And it would be great to see it one day. Though, well, I mean, the actual portrait, I've seen the painting in various depictions and on movies, or in movies and things like that. Though, I doubt it will clear anything up in terms of the mystery she presents. I actually think that's part of the art, this sort of metaphysical sensation that no matter how close you get, you can never really understand it. It's really amazing how someone has managed to create that impression just through that one image alone. If I hadn't seen this painting, I still think I'd have had the same reaction if I saw it now. But, of course, I'll never know for sure.

M: And what about your friends? Do they enjoy this painting?

R: It's such a common thing. I don't think people even discuss it. It's kind of like a background thing.