Bruce Wilson Jr.

The Artwork of Through Mona Lisa’s Eyes
Art tells a story. In Through Mona Lisa’s Eyes, each work of art tells a different part of history’s story.

Venus de Milo (c. 150 BCE)
The Venus de Milo spent 2,000 years buried on a small island in the Aegean before it was rediscovered.

Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (1486)
In The Birth of Venus, Botticelli celebrated a Roman goddess. Over 9 feet wide, the canvas overwhelmed viewers drawn in by Botticelli's classical style.

Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665)
Although Johannes Vermeer is famous for his domestic scenes, none of his works garner the same fascination as Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Limbourg Brothers, June (c. 1412–1416)
The Limbourg brothers created a painted miniature for each month of the year. Here, in June, men and women tend to the fields. Paris's royal palace stands in the background.

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (1503)
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa would become the most famous painting in the world. But the artist worried over the work for years before his death.

Leonardo da Vinci, Lady with an Ermine (c. 1490)
Around 1490, Leonardo da Vinci painted Lady with an Ermine. Thought to be a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Duke Ludovico Sforza, the painting shows how da Vinci's style evolved.

The Stolen Mona Lisa (1913(=)
Giovanni Poggi, director of the Uffizi Gallery, stands next to the Mona Lisa in Dec. 1913. The stolen painting would remain in the Uffizi before it was sent back to the Louvre.

Laocoon and his Sons (c. 200 BCE)
The statue of Laocoön and his sons, created around 200 BCE. For centuries, the massive marble sculpture went missing, until antique hunters dug it up in 1506.

Raphael, School of Athens (c. 1509-1511)
The School of Athens by Raphael brought together the classical authorities revered in the Renaissance––along with some surprising additions, including a depiction of Michelangelo, sitting in the foreground with his head resting on his hand.

The Nefertiti Bust (c. 1341 BCE)
The Nefertiti Bust, rediscovered in 1912, was seen as an ideal of beauty. Before its rediscovery, Queen Nefertiti had been lost from the historical record.

Mask of Tutankhamun (c. 1323 BCE)
The death mask of King Tut, discovered in 1922. Egyptians prized harmony and balance in their art and their lives. The pharaoh's funeral mask would help the gods recognize his spirit as he journeyed through the underworld.

Michelangelo, David (1504)
Today, Michelangelo's David stands in a custom-built museum in Florence. But for decades, the uncarved marble sat in a courtyard, abandoned by multiple artists before Michelangelo took on the challenge.

Giuseppe Zocchi, The Piazza della Signoria in Florence (c. first half of 18th c.)
In an 18th century painting, Giuseppe Zocchi depicted the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. The space had been a public art gallery since the Renaissance, with David standing tall in front of the Piazza della Signoria.

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889)
Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night from a mental asylum in Provence, France. Though the painting became famous, the artist declared it a failure.

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait (1887)
An 1887 self-portrait known as the Self-portrait with grey felt hat, which Van Gogh painted during his time in Paris. At the time, Van Gogh often didn't have money to pay for models, so he painted himself.

Vincent van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night (1888)
In Provence, Van Gogh experimented with new, brighter colors and with painting at night. In Café Terrace at Night, Van Gogh experimented with a night sky that avoided black.

Terracotta Warriors (c. 208 BCE)
For over 2,000 years, an army of 8,000 terracotta warriors hid underground in a remote province of China. Archaeologists discovered rows and rows of soldiers made from clay in the 1970s.

Terracotta Soldiers (c. 208 BCE)
Artisans made the terracotta warriors unique by creating custom faces, features, and even facial hair. The result makes the army look even more real.

Bayeux Tapestry, Battle of Hastings (c. 1070s)
In 230 feet, the Bayeux Tapestry captures the chaos of medieval warfare and the successful invasion of England by Norman conquerors.

Bayeux Tapestry, Death of Harold (c. 1070s)
"Here Harold is killed," reads the Latin text above the English king's death. In the scene, an arrow strikes Harold in the head. To the right, a horse tramples a figure which may also represent King Harold.

Bayeux Tapestry, Halley's Comet (c. 1070s)
The Bayeux Tapestry depicts Halley's Comet, which appeared in the sky across England and Normandy in 1066.

Joseph Wright, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768)
Joseph Wright captured the emotional side of science in his painting.

Robert Boyle, Air Pump Diagram (1661)
Robert Boyle published images of his air pump so skeptics could try his experiments for themselves. However, in the 1660s century, only four functioning air pumps operated in Europe, almost all of them in England.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Self Portrait (1638)
In 1638, Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi painted a self portrait, showing herself as the Allegory of Painting. The controversial painting represents the artist's confidence in her abilities.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes (1612-1613)
Judith Slaying Holofernes, painted by Artemisia Gentileschi around the time a Roman court set her rapist free and Artemisia moved to Florence.

Ebstorf Map (c. 1300)
The Ebstorf Map, created in the 13th century and destroyed during World War II bombings. The map's medieval view of the world looks nearly unrecognizable today.

Medieval World Map (c. 13th century)
A T-O map created in the 13th century. The map divides the world into the three known continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Fra Mauro, World Map (c. 1459)
Around 1460, a Venetian monk created a new vision of the world. With recognizable coastlines around the Mediterranean, Fra Mauro's map attempted to draw the world as it existed.

Benvenuto Cellini, Perseus (1545–1554)
Benvenuto Cellini pushed the boundaries of art in Perseus with the Head of Medusa––and he nearly burned down Florence to do it.

Ippolito Caffi, Florence, A View of the Piazza della Signoria (mid-19th century)
The Italian artist Ippolito Caffi painted this mid-19th century view of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence with Perseus standing at the left.

Winslow Homer, The Veteran in a New Field (1865)
Winslow Homer was a self-taught oil painter with only a few years' experience when he painted The Veteran in a New Field in 1865.

Winslow Homer, Home, Sweet Home (1863)
In 1863, Winslow Homer painted Home, Sweet Home. The painting showed a pair of Union soldiers in their makeshift camp, listening to a military band play.

Winslow Homer, Snap the Whip! (1872)
Painted in 1872, Winslow Homer's Snap the Whip! appears joyful and nostalgic––until viewers take a closer look.

Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat (1793)
Jacques-Louis David wasn't only painting a revolutionary––he was also painting a friend who'd been murdered.

Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1800)
David turned Napoleon into a confident, powerful figure in his portraits of the emperor, including Napoleon Crossing the Alps, painted in 1800.

Jacob Lawrence, Migration Series panel 1 (1940-1941)
Jacob Lawrence turned one of the largest migrations in U.S. history into a 60-panel series that blended color, shape, and history.

Jacob Lawrence, Migration Series panel 15 (1940-1941)
Lawrence didn't shy away from the harsh reality of racism and discrimination––in the South and the North.
