Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?

Leonardo da Vinci painted the portrait from around 1503 and continued working on it for years. He used sfumato, soft blending without harsh lines, and an unusual three-quarter pose and atmospheric landscape that artists admired for centuries. Yet it was not the most famous painting in the world until August 1911, when Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia stole it from the Louvre. The theft made headlines worldwide for more than two years until it was recovered in Florence in 1913. Today the painting, protected behind bulletproof glass, draws millions of visitors each year.