In 1997, I reimagined Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa through a system of 142 color beads, each precisely positioned at the nodes of an invisible two-dimensional triangular grid. Up close, the pattern appears abstract, yet from a distance, the arrangement resolves into the familiar features of the portrait, inviting viewers to recognize the image through perception and suggestion.
In 2021, I revamped my op art piece by replacing the beads with a palette of naturally colored Moons, captured by Italian astrophotographer Marcella Giulia Pace. The Moons’ colors are the result of atmospheric scattering, adding a unique, ‘celestial’ dimension to the artwork.
The visual effect of this pixelated illusion is somewhat reminiscent of Salvador Dalí’s 1976 optical artwork Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea Which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
Moona Lisa was featured as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) twice: on October 16, 2021, and again on September 14, 2024, in celebration of International Observe the Moon Night. You can also find insightful explanations about this Op Art on Youtube. The piece is currently exhibited at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence (Moona Lisa – UniFi), and will also be included in the permanent exhibition Enlighting Mind, which explores the dialogue between art and science.
My op art work combines science, art, observation, perception, illusion, and ingenuity, making it a fitting tribute to Leonardo da Vinci. It also highlights the brain’s remarkable ability to recognize faces, even when they are partially obscured, as well as its capacity to distinguish between fine details in some contexts and broader details in others.
If you’re interested in owning a piece of this unique artwork, prints and posters are available for purchase in my online store.
