Q: What does the term sfumato mean?
A: Sfumato, an Italian term meaning "dark smoke," describes a
soft gradation from one color to another. The transition can be from
warm to cool, light to dark, or dull to intense, as well as from one
hue to another. The term pertains in particular to a gradation or
transition made with thin, translucent layers of glazes and scumbles.