Thiruvananthapuram: With the Onam season round the corner, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has had a Malayali make-over on Kerala Tourism’s official handles,featuring the lady of the iconic painting attired in Kerala’s traditional off-white ‘kasavu’ saree and her hair adorned with a bunch of jasmine flowers.
But for the sartorial change, the lady in the make-over version of the Italian Renaissance masterpiece retains most of her original features, including her enigmatic smile.
“Kerala Tourism - Timeless.Graceful.Iconic” runs the description of the image, put out as part of the Onam campaign, welcoming visitors to visit during Kerala’s iconic festival, beginning on August 26, and culminating on September 5 on Thiruvonam day.
The AI generated image put out across Kerala Tourism’s social media handles received overwhelming response with thousands applauding it.
The timing of featuring the image also recalls the theft of the da Vinci painting from the Louvre in Paris on August 21, 1911, plunging art lovers the world over into deep sorrow till its return to the museum a few years later.
In recent years, Kerala has been witnessing a massive surge in tourist footfalls to the state. Innovative marketing campaigns, including the digital outreach, have significantly contributed to enhance the visibility of Kerala as one of world’s major all-season experiential tourism hubs.
