The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci Complete


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OF THE SPACES [SHOWING THE SKY] IN TREES THEMSELVES.  
The spaces between the parts in the mass of trees, and the spaces  
between the trees in the air, are, at great distances, invisible to  
the eye; for, where it is an effort [even] to see the whole it is  
most difficult to discern the parts.--But a confused mixture is the  
result, partaking chiefly of the [hue] which predominates. The  
spaces between the leaves consist of particles of illuminated air  
which are very much smaller than the tree and are lost sight of  
sooner than the tree; but it does not therefore follow that they are  
not there. Hence, necessarily, a compounded [effect] is produced of  
the sky and of the shadows of the tree in shade, which both together  
strike the eye which sees them.  
OF TREES WHICH CONCEAL THESE SPACES IN ONE ANOTHER.  
That part of a tree will show the fewest spaces, behind which a  
large number of trees are standing between the tree and the air  
[sky]; thus in the tree a the spaces are not concealed nor in b,  
as there is no tree behind. But in c only half shows the spaces  
filled up by the tree d, and part of the tree d is filled up by  
the tree e and a little farther on all the spaces in the mass of  
the trees are lost, and only that at the side remains.  
4
51.  
319  


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317 318 319 320 321

Quick Jump
1 306 613 919 1225