The Most Difficult Portrait Painting in the World: A Lesson in Portraiture after Da Vinci in Oils
Some argue that Leonardo da Vinci’s angel within the Virgin of the Rocks is more difficult to paint than the Mona Lisa. One only has to view the latter of his two versions, housed in the National Gallery to see why. See exquisite sfumato shadows over the face, ghostly highlights on the cheekbones, translucent eyes and hair like spun gold. And the face in three-quarter view poses a further quandary for the portrait painter. How can the oil painter capture these Renaissance effects? Well my book, Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View might help. Paint Da Vinci's Angel step by step This book offers practical advice on how to paint this most difficult portrait. Each stage is broken down into manageable pieces, which makes this Renaissance painting more achievable. The first part of this book aims to unleash the right side of the brain in order to render a por...