The artist who painted the Mona Lisa is Leonardo da Vinci. This masterpiece, created in the early 1500s, is one of the most renowned paintings in the world, housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Mona Lisa is best known for its intriguing subject with an enigmatic smile, which has captivated viewers for centuries. Da Vinci's use of sfumato, a technique that creates soft transitions between colors and tones, contributes to the painting's lifelike quality. The Mona Lisa's fame has only increased over time, influencing generations of artists and becoming a cultural icon recognized worldwide, symbolizing the Renaissance era's artistic brilliance.