sfumato

sfumato

sfumato (Italian: ‘faded away’, from fumo ‘smoke’). Term used to describe the blending of tones or colours so subtly that they melt into one another without perceptible transitions—in Leonardo's words, ‘without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke’. Leonardo was a supreme exponent of sfumato and Vasari regarded his ability to mellow the precise outlines characteristic of the earlier quattrocento as one of the distinguishing marks of ‘modern’ painting.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

IAN CHILVERS. "sfumato." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

IAN CHILVERS. "sfumato." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-sfumato.html

IAN CHILVERS. "sfumato." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-sfumato.html

Learn more about citation styles

sfumato

sfumato (It., ‘faded away’, from fumo: ‘smoke’). Term used to describe the blending of tones or colours so subtly that they melt into one another without perceptible transitions—in Leonardo's words, ‘without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke’. Leonardo was a supreme exponent of sfumato and Vasari regarded his ability to mellow the precise outlines characteristic of the earlier quattrocento as one of the distinguishing marks of ‘modern’ painting.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

IAN CHILVERS. "sfumato." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

IAN CHILVERS. "sfumato." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-sfumato.html

IAN CHILVERS. "sfumato." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-sfumato.html

Learn more about citation styles

sfumato

sfu·ma·to / sfoōˈmätō/ • n. Art the technique of allowing tones and colors to shade gradually into one another, producing softened outlines or hazy forms.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"sfumato." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"sfumato." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sfumato.html

"sfumato." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sfumato.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Linguistic versus organic, sfumato versus chiaroscuro: some aesthetic...
Magazine article from: Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature; 9/22/2005
LINGUISTIC VERSUS ORGANIC, SFUMATO VERSUS CHIAROSCURO: SOME AESTHETIC...
Magazine article from: Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature; 10/1/2005
Mona Lisa Gives Up the Secret of Her Smile
Magazine article from: USA TODAY; 6/1/2011

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of sfumato