Mona Lisa GIF

This GIF was produced as part of the Digital Art Studio class at Sierra College. For the assignment, we were provided a copy of the Mona Lisa to distort as we pleased. We were asked to make four unique images, which we ultimately turned into a GIF.

Because my name is Alysa, I had already taken on the alias MonAlysa years prior. I felt this project would allow me to express different facets of my own personality, drawing myself out of the mysterious Mona Lisa who has sparked much debate over the years.

Flooded with makeshift graffiti, the first image I created rips the Mona Lisa from her context entirely. It removes the famous smile and places her hands, instead, into focus.

The second image takes expresses my fascination with imperfection, darkness, and grunge. Along with black splotches, a red tone is applied to the image. It represents the darkness and secrets inside all of us.

The next image uses a distorted, glossy texture to suggest a faulty reflection. Suggesting water, the image is primarily blue. This, again, draws on the difference between perception and reality, suggesting there is much left unknown "below the surface."

In the same vein as the other images, the final image pokes fun at art and my role as an artist. The Mona Lisa is iconic, and so many reproductions and reinterpretations exist, and in an increasingly digital society, it is continually easier to recreate other artists' work in your own way. So the final Mona Lisa is faded to black and white, suggesting its age, and flipped upside down similarly to how the art world has been changed. And, of course, there is a large copyright symbol placed atop it.

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Vulpix Hair Profile Picture

An alternative profile picture for MonAlysaVulpix, this graphic is the outline of the hair atop the Pokemon Vulpix's head.

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