Southern Plants and Meadows in the Morning Light
How light and shadow fall on plants and grass with the sun in the east
This red-chalk page opens Leonardo's discussion of how a landscape appears under the low morning sun. Under a heading on southern plants he observes that, with the sun in the east, plants lying to the south and north carry nearly equal light and shadow, gaining light the further west they stand and shadow the further east. A second note on meadows explains that morning grass and small plants glow a vivid green because they are then transparent to the sun, an effect lost in meadows to the west. The sheet bears only text, in mirror script.
On this page
Light and shadow on plants at sunrise
With the sun in the east, plants lying to the south and to the north carry almost as much light as shadow. Their share of light increases the further west they stand, and their share of shadow increases the further east.
Morning meadows glow green by transparency
The grass of meadows and other small plants shows a most beautiful green at sunrise because it is then transparent to the low sun. This does not happen in meadows to the west, and the grasses to the south and north are of only middling green.