One of my favorite Ray Bradburyshort stories is set in a post-apocalyptic world. This is a point in time when the people have very little respect for the artistic accomplishments of past civilizations that somehow have survived the upheaval and destruction. At the heart of the story is a magnificent work of art, a painting by a master from centuries past. In the story we see a mob attacking it. A young man gets involved with the unruly mob, but his purpose is not to destroy. He seems at odds with society’s desire to erase any artistic evidence of the past. He is able to secure the painting and returns to the barn that he shares with his family. Later that night, when the family is fast asleep, he brings out this little bit of canvas, and looks at the Mona Lisa’s smile in the moonlight.
The story is called The Smile and is one of many in the collection, Bradbury Stories: 100 Of His Most Celebrated Tales published in 2003 by William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
I’ve heard it say that to actually see the Mona Lisa up close is somewhat disappointing. Let me clarify this. The painting is magnificent, a true work of art. It is filled with mysterious images in the background that at the same time confuse and beguile the viewer. The disappointment comes from its size. It is smaller than most people assume. But there is something about that smile that captivates the viewer’s attention.
I allude to the fact that even though the Mona Lisa was not beautiful in the classical sense of the word, she certainly had something that still intrigues art lovers to this very day. Leonardo da Vinci was not only a visionary in his designs for many future inventions, he was also capable of capturing the essence of a simple smile that would continue to resonate centuries later.
Finally, the words of Arrigo Bolto: “When I saw you I fell in love / And you smiled, because you knew.”
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Don Jackson
