Leda and the Swan 1513

Jacopo Pontormo painted this “Leda and the Swan” in oil on wood, a traditional pairing of materials and methods. What sets this painting apart is the fluid, almost restless quality of the figures. You can see this in the sinuous line of Leda's body, and the soft gradations of tone throughout the image, which would have been achieved by building up many thin layers of paint, allowing the underlayers to subtly influence the top ones. This kind of glazing was a signature technique of the Renaissance, allowing artists to create a remarkable depth and luminosity. However, the subject matter also has significance. Here we have a divine act that yields human life. The artist, as the skilled maker of the artwork, stands in an analogous relationship to the gods. As we consider how the artist created the painting, we can see echoes of that ambition. In doing so, we elevate our understanding of materials, method, and meaning.