C O N S I D E R
Leonardo da Vinci met Luca Pacioli, a Minorite friar and mathematician, follower of Piero della Francesca in matters pertaining to linear perspective and of Fibonacci in matters pertaining to mathematics. The two men became close friends and collaborators. Leonardo worked with Pacioli on his book Divina Proportione. This book, published in 1503 and illustrated by Leonardo . . . . seemed to bring into focus elements of the humanistic movement: the scientific study of perspective and the play of light and shadow (chiaroscuro: Italian Chiaro = bright + oscuro = dark) and the study of anatomy and geometrical proportion, all of which had been emerging steadily during the preceding century and had been forecast in the art of Giotto (c. 1267-1337). It was certainly to influence the character of European art for many generations. A further exploration of the mysteries of proportion and their influence in artistic structures is to be found in drawings and paintings by Raphael, Titian, DÄrer, and others, and in buildings by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and other architects well into the present era.
[Harlan, Calvin. Vision & Invention, An Introduction to Art Fundamentals. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.]
R E F E R E N C E S
Chiaroscuro n [It, fr. chiaro clear, light + oscuro obscure, dark] [1686] 1: pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color 2a: the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art b: the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities [as of mood or character] 3: a 16th century woodcut technique involving the use of several blocks to print different tones of the same color; also: a print made by this techique 4: the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface 5: the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow
[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield, MA, USA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1995.]
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