Light in Painting
Leonardo da Vinci
The Virgin of the Rocks
about 1491/2–9 and 1506–8
Oil on wood, 189.5 × 120 cm. The National Gallery, London
Out of the dark grotto the figures appear by soft degrees; the Virgin's temples and nose have no hard outline.
- A shaft of light enters from the upper left.
- The far mountains are painted blue, with softened edges, so they look hazy and distant.
Concepts
Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain