The subject of whether Leonardo Da Vinci deliberately put subliminal messages and secret codes into his artwork has been of public interest for quite some time now, mostly influenced by Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code. The most recent “discovery” is that an alien priest has now been found in The Mona Lisa.The video states that through mirroring two halves of the painting and then adding subsequent layers and colours we can see the image of an alien, right down to its little fingers and estimation of it being just above 3 feet tall. I will say, first of all, that use of mirroring was a prominent method of disguise for Da Vinci. It featured mainly in his writing, however this was in all probability done to conceal his military designs and ideas. After all he was employed as an engineer, among other things, for the ruling Sforza family in Milan from 1483, which was subsequently invaded by the French some sixteen years later.

In fact many theorists have cashed in on the possible hidden messages in Da Vinci’s works that can only be revealed by the mirroring technique, some have called it aliens and some have even gone as far as to label the images as a potential face for God (one of my personal favourites). I completely understand the fascination people have for this, the unknown and the mysterious will always kindle curiosity and the desire to understand. It really does make for a good read; The Da Vinci Code is a cracker.

Having said that though surely logic must prevail at some point right? I watched the video a couple of times and what she is saying is that if you mirror the image, add a little colour here, make that bit darker and perhaps a little bit of shading at this point then voila, we have our alien priest. This one just seems a little bit too ridiculous.

With regards to anything like subliminal messages and secret codes it all boils down to what you yourself interpret and what you want to see. It’s as plain as that, especially when it comes down to seeing an alien priest. What I am not saying though, is that Da Vinci didn’t put any subliminal messages or secret codes into his artworks. He was known for it, his notebooks being a particular example. Whether they are part of something sinister or mysterious remains to be seen, but I think they just might be the tricks of an exceptional artist and arguably a brilliant scientist.

His drawings and diagrams reflect his understanding of the human body and used the knowledge to influence his paintings. We interpret this as signs from above or his involvement with secret societies, I just think he could capture a person’s emotions in a painting incredibly well. Yet his paintings draw out different emotions and present different interpretations for different people and that, at the end of the day, is what art is supposed to do in the first place.