The measure of sight, the measure of darkness. Leonardo da Vinci and the history of bluriness

Historically, sharp focus has represented the optimization of sight, a rational worldview, the mastery of nature, as well as the analysis, control and distance from the object portrayed. Conversely, blurriness came to be associated with reflexivity and auratization, referring to the sympathetic union with the subject or the metaphysical experience of seeing. In contrast, a sharp or heightened focus as the means of rendering the world more intelligible could yield insights into the metaphysical. Sharpness and blurriness, therefore, are each the object of different idiosyncrasies, and consequently, their evaluations are subject to change. Based on Leonardo's art theory, this article examines the ambivalent relationship between light and shadow as well as between sharpness and bluriness in his works.