Chapter 3: Mona Lisa (Added for the Operation Officer + Silver Meng @ Blue Tears Against the Wind)_3

The paintings inside the museum aren't exactly something you can just take out and sell.

Without a transaction, how could there be a price?

"Mona Lisa," whether this painting is the most expensive in human history, is really a topic without a clear starting point.

After trying to explain for a long time with adult professional logic and getting nowhere, Meng Xin Zhi had no choice but to venture a risky move.

""The primary reason the 'Mona Lisa' is so valuable is that Da Vinci wasn't a professional painter."

Meng Xin Zhi's statement was shocking.

"Ah?" Zong Yi's mouth hung wide open, "Sis, are you kidding me? Leonardo da Vinci, the leading figure of the three greats of the Renaissance, wasn't a professional painter?"

"Of course, I'm not joking. Da Vinci, besides painting, was also a mathematician, biologist, astronomer, mechanics specialist, and anatomist... a whole bunch of 'ologists' and 'ists', painting for him was just one among many hobbies, it just happens to be the one that became famous."

Meng Xin Zhi borrowed Zong Yi's use of the classical musical scale, singing the five 'ist's' in a row.

"But, my sister, this doesn't solve the problem of why the 'Mona Lisa' is the most expensive! Da Vinci is so amazing, on the contrary, doesn't it suggest that 'Mona Lisa' is likely to contain a secret code? Otherwise, why would it be so expensive?"

As it turned out.

Zong Yi was not only unconvinced but became even more steadfast in her belief.

Meng Xin Zhi took a deep breath and said, "I'll now tell you why a painting by a non-professional painter can be so valuable."

"Okay, okay, okay, sis, tell me quickly!"

Zong Yi propped up her chin, disguising herself as a little flower thirsting for knowledge.

"Because Da Vinci didn't paint professionally, his understanding of painting was different from that of other artists of his time. Especially when it came to mixing colors, Da Vinci was very spontaneous. I've told you before, sometimes when he used too much paint, Da Vinci liked to smooth out the paint with his thumb."

"Yes, sis, you told me, the only work of Da Vinci's that remains outside of Europe, 'Ginevra de' Benci,' has been unquestionably attributed to Da Vinci because of his fingerprints, and you also said that several of Da Vinci's paintings contain his thumbprints that could be mutually corroborated."

"Exactly. These fingerprints also proved Da Vinci's whimsy when he painted."

"But, my sister..."

"No buts, I am explaining to you now." Meng Xin Zhi used a very unique perspective, seeking to pull Zong Yi, who was fixated on money, back to reality:

"Because Da Vinci was a scientist first."

"So his approach to mixing pigments was more functional, more scientific; as long as the colors were right, that's all that mattered."

"He didn't immerse himself in studying pigments like other painters of his era did."

"Nor did he set out from the beginning to ensure his paintings would look flawless for centuries to come."

"Many of the pigments Da Vinci used in his paintings were prone to degradation over time."

"This means that, as time passes, his paintings would easily change their original appearance."

"Since the Louvre Museum has collected this painting, they definitely hope that it will always remain in its original state."

"To achieve this, the museum needs to invest huge amounts of money in maintenance every year."

"Don't these maintenance costs get added to the painting's value?"

"Could this be why the painting is so exceptionally expensive?"

"And because the painting is so fragile, the museum has to insure it for an amount that sets a Guinness World Record."

"Doesn't that explain why this painting is so expensive?"

Meng Xin Zhi tried her best. If Zong Yi still couldn't be convinced, then she would have to let it go.

After all, educating a child is the responsibility of the parents, not her duty as a sister.

"Wow, so it's because Da Vinci carelessly used the paints that it's so expensive!" Zong Yi clapped her hands as she stood up, "That makes sense now!"

"Makes sense?"

Meng Xin Zhi suddenly felt unsure, not confident that she had truly convinced her stubborn little sister.

She might not want to educate her sister, but she also didn't wish for a movie to lead her sister astray.

"Yeah, it's just like when I was little and I touched my favorite princess dress with my hands all sweaty and dirty from playing. That makes perfect sense."