Leonardo da Vinci and Ludovico Vicentino were alive concurrently in Renaissance Italy. Leonardo is best known for the Mona Lisa, his portrait of a woman whose mysterious smile has confounded viewers for centuries. It is the most famous painting. Ludovico Vicentino is best known for La Operina, his instructional pamphlet on cursive handwriting, the first of its kind, and influential in the development of italic type. Few people have made such lasting, inspiring contributions.

Typeset à La Operina, Critter’s book is a tribute to his friend Lisa. It includes somber reflections, final messages, and pictures of his Lisa Smiling series. Referencing the archetype of enigmatic smiles, these oil-on-poplar paintings each depict one of the Mona Lisa Webdings, and stand in for three of Critter’s photographs of Lisa smiling. Friendship-specific and art-historical details saturate the work, and the total is transcendent coincidence. A balance of description and omission, Lisa puzzles.