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chiaroscuro

noun

  1. use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition in art
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Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /kɪˌɑːɹəˈskʊəɹəʊ/ / /ˌkjɑɹəˈsk(j)ʊɹoʊ/

adj

Etymology: First attested in the mid-17th century, borrowed from Italian chiaroscuro, from chiaro (“clear, bright”) + oscuro (“dark, obscure”).

  1. Possessing the qualities of a work of chiaroscuro.

    It has been a very chiaroscuro day—lots of sunlight and shadow.

    It is cruder than the others, more graphic, less chiaroscuro.

noun

Etymology: First attested in the mid-17th century, borrowed from Italian chiaroscuro, from chiaro (“clear, bright”) + oscuro (“dark, obscure”).

  1. An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to create the illusion of volume.
  2. A monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color.
  3. A woodcut technique in which several woodcut blocks are used to print different shades of a color, or a woodcut print made by this technique.
  4. A photographic technique in which one side of the subject, for example a face, is well lit and the other is in shadow.