Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci stolen 100 years ago

"On August 21, 1911, an amateur painter set up his easel near the spot where Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”—one of the most famous works of art in the world—hung in the Louvre. To his surprise, the mysterious woman with the haunting half-smile had vanished. French detectives searched for the painting for more than two years, mistakenly hauling in poet Guillaume Apollinaire and artist Pablo Picasso in hopes of cracking the high-profile case. Then, in December 1913, an Italian house painter contacted a prominent art dealer in Florence, claiming to be in possession of the celebrated portrait. Police swooped in and arrested Vincenzo Peruggia, a former Louvre employee. It turned out Peruggia had walked unnoticed into the museum, removed the “Mona Lisa” from its frame and spirited it out under his clothes. Hailed as a patriot in his native Italy, the burglar served six months in jail for the crime."
Source: History.com.
Mona Lisa is maybe the most famous painting in the world but I prefer the St. John the Baptist as I told the story here. 

Leonardo da Vinci - the loner and weird painter

"No more church! We want the natural world." That would be a slogan for a public manifestation at the renascence period. Like many of his peers art was one of many skills that Leonardo da Vinci had. However he was not considered as good at that time. "He used to practice 14 sciences. He used to sleep 2 hours every day, separated in quarters. A left-handed dyslexic, he tried to paint with both of his hands. He was a loner, but also adopted a child which he raised with extra care. He was weird, and used to destroy most of his work." (read more here)

Leonardo da Vinci - St. John the Baptist

It's dimension is 69 x 57 cm still I cannot forget when I first say it at Louvre. As happens to some people who doesn't have patience to stay at the queue to see Mona Lisa I browsed around and got mesmerized by this work. Some critics say that his smile is enigmatic but I don't see it this way and find it quite human instead. Critical approach should not interfere at the first time we are in front of something that touch us in a way that time stops and our mind thinks of nothing else but what is in front of us. It's a wonderful feeling and reason is not a good guide during this rare moments.