chiaroscuro
noun
- use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition in art
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”).
- 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”).
- 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.
- A monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color.
- 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.
- A photographic technique in which one side of the subject, for example a face, is well lit and the other is in shadow.