2007-01-07 05:22:41 · 4 answers · asked by ilavit! 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Visual Arts ➔ Painting
sfumato - In painting, the technique of blurring or softening sharp outlines by subtle and gradual blending (feathering) of one tone into another. The smokelike haziness of this effect slightly lessens the perception that a still image is entirely still, instead lending a vague sense of movement. It is best known in the paintings of the Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Correggio (Antonio Allegri) (Italian, 1489-1534).
Examples of sfumato
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519), Madonna with a Flower (Benois Madonna), begun 1478, oil on canvas, 19 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches (49.5 x 33 cm), Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Leonardo da Vinci, Madonna Litta, c. 1490-91, tempera on canvas, transferred from panel, 16 1/2 x 13 inches (42 x 33 cm), Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (La Joconde), c. 1503-1506, oil on wood panel, 77 x 53 cm, Louvre. This most famous of paintings is important for many reasons, not least of which is Leonardo use of sfumato. It seems to suggest that we are observing this face as its expression is changing. This portrait also presents early examples of aerial perspective and landscape painting.
Correggio (Antonio Allegri) (Italian, 1489-1534), Head of Christ, about 1530, oil on wood panel, 11 1/4 x 9 1/16 inches (28.6 x 23 cm), J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA.
2007-01-08 06:27:15 · answer #1 · answered by samanthajanecaroline 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sfumato is a painting technique in which the colors blend softly into each other, rather than objects or shapes having sharp outlines or hard edges.
The Italian word sfumato, means shaded off 1 and comes from the Italian word fumo, which means "smoke"2. No surprises then that it's been referred to as a smoky effect.
Leonardo da Vinci liked to use sfumato, the Mona Lisa probably being the most-quoted example.
2007-01-07 06:28:37 · answer #2 · answered by the_lipsiot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sfumato is a term used by Italians to refer to a painting technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create perceptions of depth, volume and form. In particular, it refers to the blending of colours or tones so subtly that there is no perceptible transition.
2007-01-07 07:59:38 · answer #3 · answered by Dimitris C. Milionis - Athens GR 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Funny, I thought sfumato is the modeling of figures in the painting using light and dark... Similar to chiaroscuro.
2007-01-08 02:48:02 · answer #4 · answered by lmao 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋