Chiaroscuro | Definition, Art, Examples, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of a chiaroscuro in art? ›

An example of chiaroscuro in art is the painting Saint Jerome Writing by Caravaggio. It includes a brightly lit figure surrounded by darkness and is quite foreboding to look at.

In the graphic arts, the term chiaroscuro refers to a particular technique for making a woodcut print in which effects of light and shade are produced by printing each tone from a different wood block. The technique was first used in woodcuts in Italy in the 16th century, probably by the printmaker Ugo da Carpi.

Chiaroscuro is one of the canonical painting modes of the Renaissance (alongside cangiante, sfumato and unione) (see also Renaissance art). Artists known for using the technique include Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, and Georges de La Tour.

: the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface.

Artists who are famed for the use of chiaroscuro include Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio. Leonardo employed it to give a vivid impression of the three-dimensionality of his figures, while Caravaggio used such contrasts for the sake of drama. Both artists were also aware of the emotional impact of these effects.

Such skillful use of light and dark paints to define three-dimensional shape became known as chiaroscuro, a style of shading that dominates tone (brightness) more than color. Leonardo paints Mary's blue dress in shades varying in tone from black, to pale blue, to nearly white.

Summary of Artemisia Gentileschi

Following in the footsteps of Caravaggio, her Baroque paintings were some of the most dramatic and dynamic of her generation and she became known for her realism, her accomplished use of chiaroscuro, and for placing women and their stories at the center of all her images.

To create the mysterious effect of Mona Lisa's smile, Leonardo employed two main techniques: chiaroscuro and sfumato. Chiaroscuro, from the Italian words "chiaro" (light) and "oscuro" (dark), involves the use of strong contrasts between light and dark to achieve a sense of volume and depth.

The word 'chiaroscuro' is Italian for 'light-dark', and although the technique of using shading to create a three-dimensional effect originated over a hundred years earlier in Renaissance art, the undisputed king of chiaroscuro is Caravaggio (1573–1610).

Because this technique obscures part of the subject in question, it's often used to create suspense, and is common in thriller or horror films. Of course, The Godfather isn't a typical thriller/horror film – but it still utilized chiaroscuro to generate suspense.

What creates chiaroscuro? ›

Chiaroscuro is an artistic technique that creates pronounced contrast between areas of light and dark within a composition.

cloudy leafy shaded shadowy. Weak matches. adumbral bosky cool dim dusky indistinct out of the sun screened shadowed sheltered umbrageous umbrous under a cloud vague.

He specialized in chiaroscuro wood carving, especially of religious themes and scenes. These forms are drawn angularly, not roundly modeled in chiaroscuro. His chiaroscuro, in the sense of realistic shading and three-dimensionalism, was reasonably advanced, as were his perspectives.

To create the mysterious effect of Mona Lisa's smile, Leonardo employed two main techniques: chiaroscuro and sfumato. Chiaroscuro, from the Italian words "chiaro" (light) and "oscuro" (dark), involves the use of strong contrasts between light and dark to achieve a sense of volume and depth.

Caravaggio Tenebrism • Caravaggio, David with the Head of Goliath, 1610. David with the Head of Goliath is a great example of the “dramatic illumination” idea we alluded to earlier. Look at how the light highlights the solemn victory on David's face, and consequently, the despondent vacancy on the Goliath's face.