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Question

They ask a question about the mona lisa.

The statement is "To me, she was a mecca of all artistic reprobates seeking absolution and enlightenment." What does that mean?

And what is the connotation? Would it be the reprobates?

Answer 1

This is all synthesized at the bottom.

She was a Mecca

Mecca is a metaphor here, it means a place that someone goes for spiritual validation.

All artistic reprobates

Define Reprobate

    * reject (documents) as invalid

    * abandon to eternal damnation; "God reprobated the unrepenting sinner"

    * condemn: express strong disapproval of; "We condemn the racism in South Africa"; "These ideas were reprobated"

    * depraved: deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good; "depraved criminals"; "a perverted sense of loyalty"; "the reprobate conduct of a gambling aristocrat"

    * a person without moral scruples

      wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

    * Reprobation, in Christian theology, is a corollary to the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional election which derives that some of mankind (the elect) are predestined by God for salvation, so the remainder are necessarily pre-ordained to damnation, i.e. reprobation. ...

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reprobate

    * One rejected by God; a sinful person; An individual with low morals or principles; To have strong disapproval of something; to condemn; Of God: to abandon or reject, to deny eternal bliss; To refuse, set aside; Rejected; cast off as worthless; Rejected by God; damned, sinful; Immoral, having no ...

      en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reprobate

    * Someone who pursues evil rather than good.

      www.godonthe.net/dictionary/r.html

    * That which is rejected on account of its own worthlessness (Jer. "6:30; Heb. 6:8; Gr. adokimos, "rejected"). ...

      www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Free-Bible-...

    * (root: disapproved, rejected) Unprincipled; morally depraved; profligate; -n One who is profligate, depraved or wicked.

      www.iyfradio.com/reference.htm

Enlightenment:

# education that results in understanding and the spread of knowledge

# nirvana: (Hinduism and Buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation; characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and individual consciousness

# a movement in Europe from about 1650 until 1800 that advocated the use of reason and individualism instead of tradition and established doctrine; "the Enlightenment brought about many humanitarian reforms"

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

# Enlightenment is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1990 (see 1990 in music). It reached No. 5 on the UK charts.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment (album)

# Bodhi (बोधि) is the Pāli and Sanskrit word for the "awakened" or "knowing" consciousness of a fully liberated yogi, generally translated into English as "enlightenment". ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment (Buddhism)

# Enlightenment is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from March 1 to March 9, 1983. The serial was the third of three loosely connected serials known as the Black Guardian Trilogy.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment (Doctor Who)

# Enlightenment, also known simply as E, is a free software/open source window manager for the X Window System which can be used alone or in conjunction with a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE. Enlightenment is sometimes deployed as a substitute for a full desktop environment.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment (window manager)

# An act of enlightening, or the state of being enlightened or instructed; A concept in religious mysticism, philosophy and psychology related to achieving clarity of perception, reason and knowledge

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/enlightenment

# Now here there is even some contention inside the virtualization team as to the correct usage of this term. ...

www.virtualizationconference.com/read/...

# A movement in the 18th century that stressed the importance of reason and science in philosophy and the study of human society. Occurred in Western Europe.

moodle.bathpublicschools.com/moodle/mo...

# bodhi (qv). - The 7 elements of e.: bojjhanga (qv). - A being destined for e.: Bodhisatta (qv).

www.urbandharma.org/udharma2/dictionar...

# Complete enlightenment is a state of realization in which the most subtle traces of ignorance about the nature of reality are eliminated; sometimes called "the embodiment of the "Three Kayas". There are degrees or stages of enlightenment. See Bhumi.

lionsroar.name/tantric_glossary.htm

# A philosophical movement of the eighteenth century that celebrated reason - clarity of thought and statement, scientific thinking, and a person's ability to perfect oneself. Leading figures of the Enlightenment include Voltaire, Pope, Swift, and Kant.

www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/L...

# The term is rooted in an intellectual scepticism for traditional beliefs and dogmas. Denotes an illuminated contrast to the supposed dark and superstitious character of the Middle Ages.

www.connections-exhibition.org/index.p...

# (I depend heavily, though not exclusively, on the entry in The Encylopedia of Philosophy.) Part of modernism, the Enlightenment is often identified with "the Age of Reason," though the latter is also often used as a broader term, with "the Enlightenment" referring to the eighteenth century and ...

jamesfaulconer.byu.edu/definitions.htm

# although usually used to translate the Buddhist term Bodhi, Enlightenment is here used in the broader religious and spiritual understanding to refer to the attainment of a permanent state of higher wisdom, understanding, illumination, or self realisation. ...

www.kheper.net/topics/gurus/glossary.h...

# The final attainment on the spiritual path, when the limited sense of "I" merges into supreme Consciousness.

www.siddhayoga.org.in/glossary.html

# a 17 th and 18 th century movement emphasizing the significance of reason and scientific inquiry

www.doe.nv.gov/standards/socialstudies...

# A sudden divine understanding of the true nature of things.

library.thinkquest.org/25416/gloss.htm

# (aka "Age of Reason") Period of history which began in the late seventeenth century and continued until 1789. A time when philosophy began to stress individuality. Freedom of speech and thought. The American "Declaration of Independence" is made up of Enlightenment doctrine.

www.reasoned.org/glossary.htm

# Awakening. Realization of the truth of the way things are and the end of rebirth.

www.thebuddhistsociety.org/resources/G...

# Intellectual movement centered in France during the 18th century; featured scientific advance, application of scientific methods to study of human society; belief that rational laws could describe social behavior. (p. 536)

occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pu...

# This has been translated as understanding the ultimate reality and escaping the endless cycle of existence and rebirth. It is the point where perfect wisdom and perfect compassion reach balance.

www.siamese-dream.com/page/siam1/CTGY/...

# The period of Lent during which the elect are involved in the final stage of preparation for celebrating the rites of initiation. (This period may also be called illumination and purification).

www.saintraphael.org/MinistriesPage/Fa...

# in Buddhism, Enlightenment is the awakening experience attained by the Buddha, and the destiny that Buddhists aim for. It is often described as awareness of the true nature of the universe. On attaining Enlightenment, one is freed from the cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth (samsāra).

www.ethnicityonline.net/buddhism_gloss...

# Achievement of self-realization, awakening to the inner light. Many practitioners feel that a level of enlightenment can be obtained through focus and meditation of the chronological journey of the Tarot (from fool to world).

www.tarotteachings.com/meanings-dictio...

# literally the ability of the body to hold more light photons through all levels and systems, including the cells and DNA. This causes a greater electrical charge giving us a greater power on the planet. ...

scienceofenergyhealing.com/about/gloss...

# the realization of spiritual or religious understanding, or, especially in Buddhism, the state attained when the cycle of reincarnation ends and human desire and suffering are transcended

www.japanlandstudyguide.com/EXTENSIONS...

Synthesis:

Mona Lisa was a place /object where artistic pretenders could go to attempt to achieve some sense of awakening or achievement of grace. The fallacy is that the experience in itself could not bring that about. It would be more likely that a person would be converted to Islam by the experience of visitng a mosque, or to Judaism by attending a bar mitzvah.