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Artist Recreates ‘Mona Lisa’ as an Edible Masterpiece Made From Potatoes

By Margherita Cole on September 11, 2023

Potato on the left; the Mona Lisa painting in a gilded frame on the right

Photo: (left) natika/Depositphotos; (right) Phototraveller/Depositphotos

Few paintings are as widely known as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It's so famous that it's been reimagined in countless ways, including a version of the sitter with tattoos, and a Mona Lisa made with AI. However, one clever creative had the idea to recreate the Renaissance masterpiece with an unconventional material. Using potatoes, some paint, and pieces of lettuce, artist Huylson made the Mona Lisa three-dimensional, and amazingly realistic.

Huylson documents the entire process in an Instagram video. Everything begins with a single potato, which Huylson draws a face on top of to use as a guide in the painting process. Several layers of pigments are applied to create the skin hue, as well as shadow along the cheekbones, nose, eyes, and jawline of the Mona Lisa.

After the head is done, Huylson embarks on the next step of the food art process. He affixes the head to three other potatoes and drapes several leaves of lettuce on top. The extra potatoes are arranged to resemble the body of the figure, whereas the lettuce leaves mimic the drapery of the Mona Lisa‘s Renaissance clothing with surprising success. Hulyson even chopped up a few extra potatoes to make a hand.

While the piece may not be entirely safe to eat, it sure is a feast for the eyes!