tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post7129974902690933546..comments2024-03-28T16:36:12.581-04:00Comments on Gurney Journey: SfregazziJames Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-48991624404224455982021-06-05T09:57:44.141-04:002021-06-05T09:57:44.141-04:00Ah, thanks Luca; that's enlightening.
I was ...Ah, thanks Luca; that's enlightening. <br /><br />I was under the impression "sfumare" meant "to vanish" or "to smoke" not "to smudge" -- and was a description soft almost-out-of-focus outcome, not the physical method (knowing what we do about Leonardo, he probably tried 17 different methods, half of them terrible.)Sam Bleckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17663468538753856200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-86917802906172689942021-06-04T12:38:50.268-04:002021-06-04T12:38:50.268-04:00Sam, i think that the difference is not in the too...Sam, i think that the difference is not in the tool (the finger or a cloth) but in the energy he put in it. "Sfregare" (the verb from which "sfregazzi" originated) is rubbing with some energy, "sfumare" is gently smudging. I suppose the concepts and even the italian words look quite similar and a translation error could have been possible. For example you have to "sfregare" to take away dried paint from a canvas, while you have to "sfumare" to obtain the typical "blurred" look of Leonardo's paintings. But how he actually managed to do it (with a finger, with a cloth or with washes of color or all of them combined) is totally another kind of issue. :DLucahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07075238108481083502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-81215437159838067442021-06-02T19:04:54.325-04:002021-06-02T19:04:54.325-04:00I love it James! I've been trying to figure ou...I love it James! I've been trying to figure out how to paint a self-portrait. have you ever done one? possible future youtube video?? Thanks for all you do!enpleinairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12405725192830276550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-29850649239153662892021-06-02T17:06:17.043-04:002021-06-02T17:06:17.043-04:00Ah! This explains a years-old mystery for me: Year...Ah! This explains a years-old mystery for me: Years ago on the wikipedia entry for Mona Lisa, someone defined "sfumato" as "smudging with the fingers". I was utterly confused how that had happened -- what about sfumato, or Leonardo's hazy, smooth paintings made someone think fingers were heavily involved?<br /><br />It makes much more sense that they got their "Italian techniques that start with S" confused!<br /><br />(This made me go and check what it says today; still not <i>quite</i> right. Now it says "sfumato" means "not drawing outlines". Closer, I guess. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa)Sam Bleckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17663468538753856200noreply@blogger.com