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Alexis Sanchez

Professor Batty

English 101

1 March 2017

Gender Speaks the Loudest: An Analysis of Ramona Lisa

Piety, Purity, Domesticity, and Submissiveness are what makes a female a true

women according to the Cult of Domesticity (Welter Barbara). A set of values that were set

upon women in the 19th century, this ideal refers to only The U.S.A and Great Britain; however,

women have faced gender struggles on a global scale. Chicano muralist Levi Ponce

encompasses this global struggle in his mural Ramona Lisa. The mural portrays Mona Lisa

wearing a giant sombrero, holding a rifle on her back, armed with bullets and a the Mexican flag

draped across her shoulders as she holds a sword in her hand. This powerful image embodies

symbols of the Mexican Revolution as well as featuring a revolutionary painting itself: the Mona

Lisa. Most would argue that the historical imagery of this murals main message focuses on

culture. In reality, with further examination, one can clearly see that the culture clashes

expressed in this mural from combining an iconic Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci

with Mexican attire, speaks volumes more about the gender inequality faced in both cultures.

The main message of the Ramona Lisa celebrates the female revolutionary figure that has

fought throughout history as shown through the symbolism of the Mona Lisa, her military attire,

and the contrast in cultures presented in the image.

Ponce intentionally featured the Mona Lisa as the main focal point of his painting in

order to convey the idea that a seemingly docile dainty women holds the power to break barriers.
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Arguably, the Mona Lisa remains the most discussed painting in history because of Da Vincis

breathtaking painting skills, but more importantly, the way he depicts her mysterious smile. Da

Vincis use of Sfumato, a visual illusion to create shadow and dimension, remains the reason

why Mona Lisas is so alluring (Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa). This means, depending on

how one looks at the painting the smile can appear to show various emotions. Its what makes

the painting revolutionary, and the Mona Lisa herself so captivating. Furthermore, it shows that

not only is the women in the painting beautiful, but she has something on her mind. For

centuries, some of the most brilliant minds, especially among men, have worked tirelessly to

examine what lies beyond this womens looks to discover what she is thinking, instead of

focusing on her appearance. Additionally, this painting also revolutionized portraits. According

to Renessance.org portraits of both men and women were typically cut off in the middle of

torso and hands were raised so that the head and face and shoulders occupies more of the panel

upon which the paint was applied (Leonardo De Vincis Mona Lisa). With all of these factors

Devinci was able to use this seemingly docile and dainty women to spark an art revolution.

Ponce specifically features the Mona Lisa as the main focal point in his painting, by placing her

in the center for that reason. Hence the title: Ramona Lisa to further draw further attention to

the women in the mural, thus acting as a metaphor for how powerful one women can be if at

first glance they appear weak. By the same token, it also showcases how women should be

noticed for their minds rather than their appearance and overall celebrates female strength and

empowerment.

The rifle, sword, sombrero, and Mexican flag that Mona Lisa wears in Ramona Lisa

symbolize the female fighters during the Mexican Revolution known as the Soldaderas in an
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attempt to celebrate female revolution in Hispanic culture. The historic symbols in this painting

are important to analyze. First off, the Soldaderas were women soldiers who left their domestic

responsibilities, such as staying home to take care of the children and attending church, to fight

alongside men in the Mexican Revolution. The article From Soldadera to Adelita discusses

how being a Soldadera gave women an opportunity to break oppressive gender roles and gain

gender equality. The article states, becoming a Soldadera allowed some women to leave behind

part of their responsibilities and begin a journey that would ultimately help them gain equality

with men (Fernandez 1). The option to fight alongside men, finally gave a chance for Mexican

women to prove that they held more capabilities than staying home with the children and

attending church, which went against all the Mexican standards held for women at the time.

Ponce carefully adorned the Mona Lisa with the specific attire the Soldaderas wore each acting

as symbols for how the Soldaderas broke the Cult of Domesticity. The gun and sword

represent breaking purity and piety because these women were no longer afraid to kill. The

sombrero represents a lack of submissiveness because they are rebellious against the Spanish

Government and fighting instead of staying home with the kids. In doing so, they also fought

back against another oppressive government threatening to take away their independence.

Overall, Ponce uses this to allude to the importance of female rebellion while at the same time,

encouraging women to speak out in their governments, communities, and anywhere else they

feel injustice, thus reminding women of the power they hold on a vast scale.

The obvious contrast between the Mona Lisa and Soldaderas showcases the different

ways women have influenced history, which celebrates the complexity in the capabilities of

women. The iconic imagery of the Mona Lisa shows a more subtle approach to a revolution. The
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Mona Lisa is seemingly docile, beautiful, and innocent looking; however, that does not take

away from her power. She was able to keep her feminine nature and still change what men think

of women. On the other hand, the Soldaderas represent a more obvious approach in much

more difficult conditions. Women changed their priorities from cleaning to killing. Both the

Mona Lisa and the Soldaderas do essentially the same thing, they break limitations of what

women are capable of. By combining these two cultures in this mural it does recognize the

privilege of European society and people resembling the Mona Lisa who didnt have to face as

difficult of struggles as difficult as the Soldaderas.The mural points out the obvious differences

in how gender has been challenged. At the same time, it depicts that despite the cultural

differences the struggle of gender connects all women.

Overall, Ponces murals historic implications and cultural symbolism in his painting all

highlight the women in history who paved the way in art, politics, and social justice. All these

images are carefully chosen to exemplify the different ways women have been revolutionary.

The Mural ultimately demonstrates that there is not one single way to spark change and there is

also not one single way to define women. The bigger picture overall is to inspire women

everywhere to speak up in order to have more female representation in the world that we so

desperately need.
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Works Cited

Fernandez, Delia. "From Soldadera to Adelita: The Depiction of Women in the Mexican Revo."

"From Soldadera to Adelita: The Depiction of Women in the Mexican Revol" by Delia

Fernndez. Nair Scholars Journal, 2009. Web. 31 May 2017.

"Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa ItalianRenaissance.org." ItalianRenaissance.org. N.p., 30

Sept. 2015. Web. 31 May 2017.

Welter, Barbara. "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860." American Quarterly 18.2 (1966):

151. The Cult Of Womenhood. Web. 31 May 2017.