The “Mona Lisa,” painted by Leonardo da Vinci in ... Moreover, Leonardo’s use of sfumato—a technique that allows tones and colors to shade gradually into one another, producing softened ...

2. The enigmatic smile The smile of the Mona Lisa has puzzled experts for centuries. Art historian E.H. Gombrich in The Story of Art (1950) suggests its ambiguity is due to the "sfumato" technique ...

Sfumato is the blending of different colours that softens the edges and creates a hazy look. Two of the most notable artworks where this technique was used are the Mona Lisa and Virgin of the Rocks.