How Leonardo da Vinci Created a Metaphorical Battle of Light and Dark in His Brushstrokes

Christopher P Jones is the author of <a href="https://www.chrisjoneswrites.co.uk/how-to-read-paintings/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">How to Read Paintings</a>, an introduction to some of the most fascinating artworks in art history. <img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*vK1INK-wKGAzVX6wxF1tNg.jpeg" style="height:611px; width:700px" /> Detail of ‘Saint John the Baptist’ (c. 1513–1516) by Leonardo da Vinci. Oil on walnut wood. 69 × 57 cm. Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Image source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Saint_John_the_Baptist_C2RMF_retouched.jpg" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a> Leonardo da Vinci painted Saint John the Baptist in about 1516. The figure appears to materialise — perhaps miraculously, certainly enigmatically — from a deep-black background. The effect is achieved through a technique that Leonardo pioneered: the deliberate softening of lines and contours so that the figure seems to blend in with — or in this case, out of — the darkness. The light in the painting has a measured quality, the sort of wavering glow that is reminiscent of candlelight. The shadows are gradual; they move from light to dark only serenely, even hesitantly. What is Leonardo signalling to us through this faded light? Why did he choose to give the painting this particular feel? <a href="https://christopherpjones.medium.com/why-did-leonardo-da-vinci-paint-with-his-sfumato-effect-296ea5b7b084">Visit Now</a>