Has the Mystery of the ‘Mona Lisa’ Background Been Solved?
Ann Pizzorusso, a geologist and art historian, says she’s identified the location in the background of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting.
Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent - May 20, 2024
"...Past theories about the background have focused primarily on the bridge and the road in the painting...
However, Pizzorusso says these theories ignore the rock formations in Leonardo’s artwork.
“The arched bridge was ubiquitous throughout Italy and Europe, and many looked very similar,” she tells the Observer’s Dalya Alberge. “It is impossible to identify an exact location from a bridge alone. They all talk about the bridge, and nobody talks about the geology...”
French geographer and historian André Duchesne died #OTD in 1640.
He is often regarded as the father of French history due to his extensive and methodical research into the history of France and its nobility. He is noted for his systematic approach to historical research, emphasizing the importance of primary sources and critical analysis. His work often involved the collection and publication of historical documents, charters, and records.
The Evening Post, 27 May 1924:
WOMEN IN PRINT.
…
Patriotic New Zealanders occasionally are shocked by the ignorance of those with whom they come in contact abroad of the whereabouts of the best little country in the world. The training of business men does not always include geography, says the Otago “Daily Times,” but a university should not fall into the crude error revealed in an envelope received in Dunedin. A member of the Otago University staff has been in communication with the University of Geneva, and was pained to receive from that distinguished seat of learning the other day a letter addressed: “University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, U.S.A.” https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19240527.2.116
See also Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omission_of_New_Zealand_from_maps #OnThisDay#OTD#PapersPast#NewZealand#Geography#WhereIsNewZealand
Hidden deep within the Saudi desert is Al Ahsa: a UNESCO heritage site and incredible oasis characterized by 2.5 million palm trees. Here, the trees are cove...
Children are vague on geography and tend to assume that any place they know well is well-known to everyone. They will use obscure place names and get confused when you have never heard of them.
One of the kids I grew up with used to talk about his or her summers at "Haverdal". Neither of us had any idea of where it was on the map. Now I learn that it's a nature reserve in Halland, SW Sweden.
German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer Alexander von Humboldt died #OTD in 1859.
His most significant and famous expedition was to Latin America (1799 to 1804). Accompanied by Aimé Bonpland, he explored vast regions, including the Orinoco River, the Andes, the Amazon River, and even observed the political & social conditions of the Spanish colonies. His journey also included a visit to the United States.
Today I have been dusting off some old code looking at the perennial question of "where is the centre of country x" for a value of x is the UK.
I here are two methods of identifying the centre point, one based on a geographic bounding box centroid for the UK, and a population centroid calculated by slicing the UK into 100m horizontal and vertical rectangles and working out the cumulative centre point using @WorldPopProject data in an EPSG:3034 projection
For the first time, dynamic modelling of terrain at the University of Sydney has helped us better understand how humans first travelled across the combined continent of Sahul - Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania - between 35,000 and 70,000 years ago.
Happy to be presenting my book & comic project tonight at the University of Cagliari, during an interdisciplinary seminar as part of my Visiting Professorship.
As I've been spending the past few days translating the 'comic' section of it into French from the original English, and will be presenting this in Italian, it really makes me think about how language shapes how we think and write about the world, beyond images. #geography#visualMethods#ethnography#history#comics#bandeDessinée
Hidden Treasures in the World's Largest Oasis (youtu.be)
Hidden deep within the Saudi desert is Al Ahsa: a UNESCO heritage site and incredible oasis characterized by 2.5 million palm trees. Here, the trees are cove...
How evolving landscapes impacted First Peoples’ early migration patterns into Australia (www.sydney.edu.au)
For the first time, dynamic modelling of terrain at the University of Sydney has helped us better understand how humans first travelled across the combined continent of Sahul - Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania - between 35,000 and 70,000 years ago.