Which of the following statements accurately reflects how Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa departs from an earlier Renaissance portrait, Piero della Francesca’s Battista Sforza and Federigo da Montefeltro?

a) The psychological complexity of Leonardo’s portrait is aided by the sfumato technique, which Piero does not use.
b) By including an imaginary Alpine landscape, Leonardo departs from the humanist impulse that characterizes Piero’s portrait.
c) Leonardo paints an actual individual woman, whereas Piero, in keeping with earlier Renaissance convention, creates a version of the idealized Renaissance female face.
d) Leonardo’s omission of the jewels and finery present in Piero’s subject attest to what was likely an interest in depicting commoners, a popular subject with Florentine patrons.

Answer: a