In Google and Yahoo you can type a phrase and they will suggest the rest of the phrase.
When you type “What’s so special about” both Google and Yahoo suggest as their #2 suggestion:
The Mona Lisa.
Seeing as we are in Paris and went to see the Mona Lisa my wife and I were discussing what’s so special – I don’t really know – but those who are passionate about art have some explanations. Composition, the background story of the painting, The painting’s provenance (a client of ours taught me about that…), the whole happy/sad thing. etc.
This is one of those things where I will trust the experts. I don’t have the tools required to fully understand and appreciate the Mona Lisa – but they do – and they say it’s good, so I’ll trust them this time.
Bon Soir from Paris…
I saw the Mona Lisa twice– once without any protection around it, the raw painting displayed as other paintings are with just a rope preventing people from getting too close, and the second time after it had been attacked and was later put behind plastic and at least one step further removed. The first time the painting was so amazing, I stood and stared at it (I was 19 and not really amazed by much at that age). The second time, I found it not nearly as appealing because of the distance created by the protection it was given. Still, it is something special and how wonderful that you all were able to see the original. Enjoy your trip!
I didn’t get the full experience. I was so busy observing the scene of throngs of people with every imaginable type of digital camera trying to capture the Mona Lisa. Then I was thinking about the Divinci Code movie – My friend Ori and I were at the premiere in Hong Kong after working on one of the official websites for that movie….