Leonardo da Vinci
From Muppet Wiki
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was an Italian Renaissance polymath: an architect, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, inventor, geometer, musician, and painter. He has been described as the archetype of the "Renaissance man" and as a universal genius, a man infinitely curious and infinitely inventive. He is considered one of the greatest painters who ever lived.
Leonardo is famous for his realistic paintings, such as the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper", as well as for influential drawings such as the "Vitruvian Man". He conceived of ideas vastly ahead of his time, notably inventing the helicopter, a tank, the use of concentrated solar power, the calculator, a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics, the double hull, and others too numerous to mention. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were feasible during his lifetime; modern scientific approaches to metallurgy and engineering were only in their infancy during the Renaissance. In addition, he contributed greatly to the study of anatomy, astronomy, civil engineering, optics, and the study of water. Of his works, only a few paintings survive, together with his notebooks (scattered among various collections) containing drawings, scientific diagrams and notes.
"Mona Lisa", da Vinci's famous portrait of an Italian noblewoman, has been featured or spoofed in many Muppet productions and merchandise items. Jim Henson's earliest use of the "Mona Lisa" is in the 1965 short film Time Piece, in which the main character shoots the painting.
Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" was parodied as part of the set of Muppet Celebrity T-shirts, as a reference to its use in the credits of Alias.
His name was also borrowed for Leonardo, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in the eponymous Creature Shop film and its sequel.
Contents |
Mona Lisa
 Mona Lisa in Time Piece |
 In the background of Sex and Violence |
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 In the background of the UK Spot from episode 213 of The Muppet Show |
Mona Moi
1984 |
 Gonzo graffitis a wall in The Muppets (comic strip) |
 Muppet Babies closing credits |
 People In Your Neighborhood View-Master set. Ernie dreams about being a painter and is shown with the Mona Lisa |
 Great Monsterpieces coloring book |
 Sesame Street song "Sing Your Synonyms" |
 Oscar in front of Mona Lisa protruding from a trash can[1] |
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 Moaning Lisa |
 Elmo's rendition of Right in the Middle of Your Face |
 Groana Lisa in Elmo Says BOO! |
Monster Lisa
1999 |
 Museum of Monster Art sticker book |
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 Art created by Joe Mathieu especially for Kermit's song on Thanks & Giving All Year Long |
 Big Bird's Nest in Sesame Street Season 37 is decorated with a bird variation of the "Groana Lisa" painting seen in the Elmo Says Boo special |
 The Story of Numberella |
 Adal Ramones' face instead |
The Vitruvian Man
Kermit as The Vitruvian Man
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Mona Pigga
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Jim Henson's Muppets Style Guide
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Sources
- ↑ Borgenicht, David. Sesame Street Unpaved. p. 111
