The Mona Lisa is hands down one of the most widely recognized paintings in the course of human history. The inspiration for the name Mona Lisa comes from the fact that the sitter's name is Lisa, the wife of wealthy Florentine businessman Francesco del Giocondo, and Mona was a common contraction for the Italian word "madonna" meaning "my lady". Another fascinating detail that makes this painting special is of the excessive use of the technique of sfumato. Sfumato was a technique that made it so an object's detail and color changed as it receded in the distance. Sfumato was originally invented by Flemish and Venetian painters, and Leonardo da Vinci used sfumato to his benefit. That is why the Mona Lisa is one of the most recognized paintings in human history.