Leonardo's painting technique secrets uncovered
FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) -
Renaissance master Leonardo da
Vinci avoided the palette and mixed colors directly on the
canvas, Italian researchers said after they reconstructed his
work step by step "as if watching him while he painted."
Using a scientific device to analyze Leonardo's "Madonna of
the Yarnwinder" painting, researchers at the University of
Florence said they were able to pinpoint virtually every stroke
made by the famous Italian artist on the oil masterpiece.
That showed the Leonardo avoided mixing colors on a
painter's palette like his contemporaries did. Instead, he
applied thin layers of paint directly on the canvas in
different colors one on top of the other to create a rich
texture.
"That Leonardo used the "velature" technique is already
known, he himself wrote that in a treaty, but for the first
time we have managed to reconstruct his work step by step, like
as if watching him while he painted,"
clipped from: news.yahoo.com 