Painting the Light of the Setting Sun
How the western sun tinges tall buildings and trees, and why a cloud can look dark without a cast shadow
The precept describes the beautiful effect of the sun low in the west, which lights the tall buildings of cities and castles and the tall trees of the countryside and tinges them with its own colour, while everything lower, lit only by the air, keeps little difference between its lights and shadows. Leonardo advises the painter to mix some of the colour used for the sun into every light colour with which such raised bodies are illuminated. A further note explains that a cloud can appear dark without any shadow cast by a neighbouring cloud, according to the eye's position. Two ink diagrams at the centre, each labelled SOLE, illustrate the sun's rays striking buildings and clouds.
On this page
Rendering the western sun on raised bodies
When the sun is in the west it lights the tall buildings of cities and castles and the tall trees of the countryside, tinging them with its colour, while all below, lit only by the air, has little difference between light and shadow and does not stand out. The painter should therefore take some of the colour used for the sun and add it to whatever light colours illuminate those raised bodies.
A cloud dark without a cast shadow
It often happens that a cloud appears dark although no separate cloud casts a shadow on it. This depends on the position of the eye: of the near cloud the eye sees only the shadowed side, while of the others it sees both the shadowed and the lit sides.
Diagram: the sun's rays on buildings and clouds
Two perspective schemes are drawn at the centre of the page, each with the sun marked SOLE at the right. The upper scheme shows rays reaching a row of buildings; the lower shows rays touching clouds. Together they illustrate the text on the low sun striking raised forms.