Editing Populus (section)

===Art===
Poplar was the most common wood used in Italy for [[panel painting]]s; the ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' and most famous early [[Italian Renaissance]] paintings are on poplar.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Uzielli |first1=Luca |last2=Gril |first2=Joseph |last3=Cocchi |first3=Linda |last4=Colmars |first4=Julien |last5=Dionisi Vici |first5=Paolo |last6=Dureisseix |first6=David |last7=Goli |first7=Giacomo |last8=Jullien |first8=Delphine |last9=Marcon |first9=Bertrand |last10=Mazzanti |first10=Paola |last11=Remond |first11=Romain |date=July 2011 |title=Experimental studies on the wooden support of the "Mona Lisa" |url=https://hal.science/hal-00945958#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CMona%20Lisa%E2%80%9D%20(Louvre,Poplar%20(Populus%20alba%20L.) |journal=The Safeguard of Cultural Heritage. A Challenge from the Past for the Europe of Tomorrow. COST Strategic Workshop |series=The safeguard of cultural heritage : a challenge from the past for the Europe for the Europe of tomorrow |location=Florence, Italy |publisher=Firenze University Press |pages=367 p |doi=10.13140/2.1.1021.1525}}</ref> The wood is generally white, often with a slightly yellowish colour.

Some [[stringed instrument]]s are made with one-piece poplar backs; [[viola]]s made in this fashion are said{{citation needed|date=July 2011}} to have a particularly resonant tone. Similarly, though typically it is considered to have a less attractive grain than the traditional [[sitka spruce]], poplar is beginning to be targeted by some [[harp]] [[luthier]]s as a sustainable and even superior alternative for their [[sound board (music)|sound boards]]:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://traditionalharps.com/Old_Rees_Harps_Site/HarpsGeneralTonewoods.html |title=Harps by Wm. Rees - WM REES HARP MYTH 8 |access-date=2011-07-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326111406/http://traditionalharps.com/Old_Rees_Harps_Site/HarpsGeneralTonewoods.html |archive-date=26 March 2012}} Rees Harps Website, "Harp Myth #8".</ref> in these cases another hardwood veneer is sometimes applied to the resonant poplar base both for cosmetic reasons, and supposedly to fine-tune the acoustic properties.