Ms. Lisa has been sharing a crowded gallery, known as the Salle des Etats , with such fellow luminaries of the Italian Renaissance as Tintoretto, Titian and Veronese. Of course, it is Mona Lisa whom visitors come to see, or, rather, come to gaze at, for truly digesting magical and mystical art requires a good, long visual gulp. Such study is difficult when too many people are in too small a room, when noise smothers pensiveness, when bustle interposes between the art work and the senses. There is another way of thinking about her move to private quarters, fantastical it may be. Maybe he even could get in touch with his mellow side.
Privacy is a tricky thing.
For humans, it means being alone. It is fun to think about what great art might do in the dark, when the last museum-goer has gone. But when a piece of art is most alive is when its admirers are there, taking a good, long swallow. So in 18 months, when Mona Lisa has her own gallery with special acoustics and lighting, she will be getting more than spiffier quarters. She'll be getting more life.