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Leonardo Da Vinci Research Paper

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As an artist myself, I have always had a fascination with Leonardo da Vinci. He was not only an artist, but also a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician, and so on: a true renaissance man! According to Upgren, “One of his many contributions to the world is his prominent use of chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro, the treatment of light and shade, is a technique used in art to produce the illusion of depth and for a dramatic effect. It no doubt arose from observations of nature, and certainly of the night sky.” Because of his interest in and observations of nature, he noted that light affected tone and shade of color, and to achieve a sense of realism in painting, one would need to portray that affect of light. Shearman offered the explanation that da Vinci was faced with the problem of creating space and depth regardless of color within a painting. This problem allowed da Vinci to explore the affects of light. He states, “It is hardly necessary to demonstrate that Leonardo had a full understanding of light as an exterior force, and that form is revealed in the dynamic interplay of light and shade; he also distinguished clearly between the local-colour and the accidental colour of objects, between the permanent and temporary colouristic properties.” Da Vinci was very well versed, from observation, that light had a dramatic affect on tone and depth, and that it was not a permanent aspect of an image, that colors and tone changed as light changed. …show more content…

This was important because Leonardo, while working on large wall paintings, such as the Last Supper, needed extensive scaffolding to complete the

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