[sfoo-mah-toh] 
| the subtle and minute gradation of tone and color used to blur or veil the contours of a form in painting. |
| sfu·ma·to (sfōō-mä'tō) n. The blurring or softening of sharp outlines in painting by subtle and gradual blending of one tone into another. [Italian, from past participle of sfumare, to evaporate, fade out : s-, from (from Latin ex-; see ex-) + fumare, to smoke (from Latin fūmāre; see fumatory).] |
sfumato
(from Italian sfumare, "to tone down" or "to evaporate like smoke"), in painting or drawing, the fine shading that produces soft, imperceptible transitions between colours and tones. It is used most often in connection with the work of Leonardo da Vinci and his followers, who made subtle gradations, without lines or borders, from light to dark areas; the technique was used for a highly illusionistic rendering of facial features and for atmospheric effects. See also chiaroscuro.
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