The beauty of Mona Lisa is priceless. So is her influence. We explore this Da Vinci masterpiece for the quantum of Influence Capital it exalts, and the cause that closely aligns with Mona Lisa’s persona in case that influence is monetized.
The Mona Lisa, painted in the early 16th century (1503–1519) by the all-time great Leonardo da Vinci, is priceless. Guinness World Records lists the Mona Lisa as having the highest insurance value ever for a painting in history. Assessed at US$100 million in 1962, with inflation and a further surge in art prices taken into account its worth was an estimated $2.5 billion in 2014 when a French TV station had suggested it could be sold to ease the national debt.
In 2019 dollars the masterpiece could be worth $2.67 billion.
Perhaps a lot more, because…….
What’s more important? Art or life?
I would say art, because at least it lives forever. — George Condo, Artist
"Rich people are incredibly insecure & incredibly neurotic. - Holly Peterson, Art Collector.
“If few people have it, everyone else must have it” — Inga Rubenstein, Art Collector
What if no one has it, and no one will ever have that privilege?
Priceless!
What if Mona Lisa’s $2.67 billion Influence Capital is monetized to fund a cause? What cause could it be? Feminism?
Mona Lisa, Feminism & France
In his book “The Lady Speaks: Uncovering the Secrets of the Mona Lisa” (Brown Books Publishing Group) historian W.N. Varvel decodes the interpretation of da Vinci’s famous painting.
In “The Lady Speaks,” Varvel, an Italian Renaissance scholar, and historian argues that this figure was a proponent of gender equality in the church.
Based on his theory that took him 12 years to develop, Varvel concludes:
“Mona Lisa was a feminist, and her subtle smile may be a statement about women’s rights.”
Now, if that’s the case, the first seeds of the feminist movement predate the currently known history and timeline of feminism by about four centuries.
Even the term “feminism” did not exist at Da Vinci’s time. A 19th century French philosopher Charles Fourier invented feminisme while writing about the women’s status as an indicator of social progress.
Today, feminism means many different things to different people, but it is primarily a social movement for the emancipation of women.
The modern feminist movement began as a result of sweeping social, political and industrial changes in the western world, but the movement has ideological roots in France.
If there’s one cause that’s in perfect alignment with Mona Lisa, it’s FEMINISM
The Waves Of Feminism
Ideological and philosophical focus of the feminist movement is continuously shifting over time, creating separate “waves” of feminism.
- First-wave feminism, early 20th century (1900 to 1959), focusing on women’s suffrage, property rights, and political candidacy.
- Second-wave feminism, 1960s to 1980s, focusing on reducing inequalities in sex, family, the workplace, reproductive rights, de facto inequalities, and official legal inequalities.
- Third-wave feminism, 1990s to 2000s, focusing on embracing individualism and diversity.
- Fourth-wave feminism, 2008 to present-day, focusing on combating sexual harassment, assault, and misogyny.
Predicting The Fifth Wave Feminism
Acknowledgment of the accomplishments of the preceding waves of feminism will help us better understand where feminism lies today, and where the future of feminism can possibly be heading.
One way the fourth wave differs from any other is its use of the internet and social media, creating a “call out” culture. Hashtag activism to spread awareness of feminist issues such as the #metoo campaign.
Wherever it’s heading, the fifth wave will surely be driven by technology.
But, what happens to something that’s common to all those feminism waves? PERPETUITY.
Feminism seems to be a never-ending struggle, fight, battle, combat that demands equal rights.
Should there be perpetuity to the movement of feminism?
Should the fifth wave be another struggle, another fight, another battle, another combat?
What if women’s status rises to such a level of self-reliance that the gender equality goal gets within reach, the struggle becomes irrelevant, perpetuity ends?
Utopian dream!
A legendary Indian poet and philosopher, who inspired millions for over a century pens his idea of self-reliance in the following words (translated from Urdu):
- So that the gender equality struggle, fight, battle, combat ends once for all.
- So that the women of the world do not need feminism anymore.
- So that fifth wave becomes the last and final wave that finds its ultimate shore.
Can Mona Lisa’s Influence Help?
The world is awash in influence capital. Over a quadrillion of it. None of which is monetized yet, rather I should say, tokenized yet. Tokenization makes it possible for anyone to own a piece of anything of value — artwork for instance as a blockchain startup Monart is pursuing - by allowing tokens to be divided into very small units and sold to individual investors. In other words, you could go see the Mona Lisa displayed in Louvre, share part of her influence while Louvre retains its exhibition rights. You earn from the monetization of the art piece, and at the same time support the cause it stands for.
A couple of billions bestowed upon this Da Vinci masterpiece may well be just a speck in this new quadrillion dollar universe of tokenizable influence capital (asset), but indeed a giant leap in turning economics on its head, and in the process liberating feminism from perpetuity.
This article was first published on Medium
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