A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light. - Leonardo da Vinci

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Engraved portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, facing left

A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.

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About Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, inventor, engineer, sculptor, and musician. His best known painting is the Mona Lisa.

Biography information from Wikiquote · Portrait adapted from Wikimedia Commons, Attributed to Francesco Melzi (Public domain / CC0)

Also Known As

Alternative Names: Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci Leonard Léonard Leonardo Da Vinci

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Additional quotes by Leonardo da Vinci

All the rays which convey the images of objects through the air are straight lines. Hence, if the images of very large bodies have to pass through very small holes, and beyond these holes recover their large size, the lines must necessarily intersect.

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The spirit has no voice, because where there is a voice there is a body, and where there is a body space is occupied, and this prevents the eye from seeing what is placed behind that space; hence the surrounding air is filled by the body, that is by its image.

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