The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
The Virgin of the Rocks is a complex and mysterious painting.
It was painted for an altarpiece for a chapel in Milan, long since lost.
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
It shows the Virgin Mary,
Christ's cousin, Saint John the Baptist,
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
and an angel.
They kneel to adore Christ, who raises his hand to bless them.
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
They are in a grotto overhung with rocks and dense with vegetation.
The setting reflects Leonardo’s fascination with the natural world:
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
The mountains resemble Leonardo's native Tuscan landscape.
Their upward energy contrasts with the water’s flat stillness.
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
The wilderness is fertile: plants tickle John the Baptist’s and Christ's feet,
... and even sprout from the rocks.
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
But they don’t resemble real flowers – they are invented hybrids of different plants.
The painting demonstrates Leonardo’s technique of contrasting light and shadow, known as ‘chiaroscuro’.
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
The figures emerge from the darkness, as if spot-lit.
Leonardo uses a smoky, blurry effect around the edges of forms,
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
such as around the Virgin’s temples and nose.
This makes the figures appear three-dimensional.
The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da VinciThe National Gallery, London
The technique is called ‘sfumato’ – from the Italian ‘turn to smoke.’
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