Now, the question about its 21st century aesthetic is beyond the scope, but overrated it is not. For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa#/media/

Now, the question about its 21st century aesthetic is beyond the scope, but overrated it is not. For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa#/media/File:Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa#/media/File:Mona_Lis... It was painted around 1503. Compare to something around the same time -- Lorenzo Di Credi -- http://lj.rossia.org/users/marinni/418072.html http://lj.rossia.org/users/marinni/418072.html Look at the comparison of detail on the dresses. Look at the hands, and the slightly darker color where the light doesn't reach as strongly on the tips of her right hand. Look at the small details on her face like the lines around her cheek bones -- Leonardo was making striking advancements about how to make portraiture more realistic. We can copy his techniques fairly easily, but creating the techniques is hard.