What technique allows artists to create a smoky effect in their work?

The technique that allows artists to create a smoky effect in their work is sfumato. This method, which originated during the Renaissance, involves the subtle blending of colors and tones, allowing for soft transitions between light and shadow. By using sfumato, artists can achieve a hazy atmosphere, which creates depth and a sense of three-dimensionality in a painting. This technique is characterized by soft outlines and blended edges, often found in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, such as the famous "Mona Lisa."

Impressionism, on the other hand, focuses on capturing light and its changing qualities with loose brushwork, but it does not specifically aim for the smoky effect characteristic of sfumato. Pointillism, which utilizes small dots of color to create an image, is more about the optical mixing of color rather than producing a smoky appearance. The palette knife technique involves applying paint with a knife, creating texture and defined edges rather than the soft transitions associated with sfumato.