Meadow grasses and plants seen against the light
Lit and shadowed stalks against contrasting fields; backlit plants above the eye
In red chalk, under two headings, Leonardo treats the light of meadow grasses and of plants placed between the eye and the light. Grasses on the near side of a plant's shadow show illuminated stalks against a shadowy field, while grasses within the shadow show dark stalks against the bright field beyond. In plants set between the eye and the light, the near part is bright, its brightness mixed from branching transparent leaves seen from the reverse and lustrous leaves seen from the front, while the ground below and behind is dark verdure shadowed by the plant's own front, an effect that occurs with plants higher than the eye.
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Meadow grasses: lit stalks on shadow, dark stalks on light
Of grasses that take on the shadows of the plants among them, those on the near side of the shadow have their stalks lit against a shadowy field, while those in shadow have dark stalks against the bright field beyond the shadow.
Plants between the eye and the light
In plants between the eye and the light the near part is bright, its brightness mixed of transparent leaves seen from the reverse and lustrous leaves seen from the front, while the ground below and behind is dark verdure shadowed by the plant's front. This happens with plants higher than the eye.