Written by: Sana Shahid
Posted on: May 12, 2023 | 
| 中文
'The Matchmaker' by Gerard van Honthorst, 1625
A play of light and shadow by manipulating a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface and creating an illusion is what is famously known as “Chiaroscuro’. It is often used to form drama and emotion in a painting or drawing, conveying a concept of exaggerated realism. The contrast between light and dark creates a sense of tension and movement that single-handedly emphasizes particular areas of interest and draws the viewer’s eye to those specific spots of the artworks.
While its pronunciation might roll on your tongue, the term Chiaroscuro is derived from the Italian words “chiaro”, meaning light, and “scuro”, meaning dark or obscure. It is an artistic technique that has been widely developed over the centuries by depicting depth, volume, and drama in visual art, and can be dated back to the 5th Century in ancient Greece. Apollodorus Skiagraphos, a Greek painter, introduced realistic depth on a rather flat surface, using a cross-hatching technique of shading. It is believed that his artworks were destroyed, but ‘Skiagraphia’, or his way of creating shadow drawing not only inspired, but was rather taken up by future artists. Over the period of time, Chiaroscuro gained popularity during the 15th and 16th Centuries, and was adopted by the Renaissance master artists such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Vermeer in the Baroque era.
'Crucifixion of St. Peter' by Caravaggio, 1600
One of the first artists that proceeded with this style was Leonardo da Vinci. On a set of dark and tinted brown papers, Da Vinci challenged the system. Instead of going from light to dark, he added depth to his works by gradually starting from darker to lighter tones. His artworks are a demonstration of his talent, creativity and hard work to achieve depth. The yellow and sepia tones portray a spotlight from the opposite direction, lighting the protagonists in his works like The Adoration of the Magi.
'Christ at Rest' by Hans Holbein, 1519
Chiaroscuro was beautifully carried out by Rembrandt, who produced some exceptional artworks like “The Night Watch”, which depicts a group of Dutch militiamen preparing for battle. Rembrandt used the technique to create a sense of tension and movement in the painting. The subtle contrast of light and shadow draws the audience to the central figures, and creates a feeling of suspense, mystery and action.
'The Holy Family' by Francisco Goya
On the other hand, Caravaggio played around with the concept of light and shadow, using a rather harsh, more dramatic light to make the figures conspicuous in his works. This developed Chiaroscuro further and turned it into Tenebrismo or Tenebrism. Caravaggio’s painting “The Calling of Saint Matthew”, depicts the moment when Saint Matthew, a tax collector, is called upon by Jesus to become a disciple. The painting is dominated by the contrast between the light that illuminates the faces of the figures, and the deep shadows that create a sense of mystery.
This style was not only used in paintings but also in drawings, prints and sculptures. Among the most notable examples of Chiaroscuro in sculpture is Bernini’s “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa”. The sculpture depicts the moment when Saint Teresa experiences a vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden arrow. Even in a sculptural form, light and shadow make it feel more dynamic and alive.
'Ecstasy of Saint Teresa' by Bernini
Chiaroscuro has continuously prevailed in art over decades. It has been adopted by numerous artists such as Francisco Goya, William Blake and Vincent van Gogh. Each artist used it in their own unique way, creating works of art that are both theatrical and emotional. It is hard to believe that this method has also been depicted in woodcut prints. Woodcut is a form of printmaking that mainly follows a rather graphical approach, whereas chiaroscuro lends itself more to realistic imagery. Both techniques were combined by German and Italian artists during the early 16th Century by carving out several woodblocks and layering the prints to achieve the desired outcome. An example of this is “The Rich Man and Lazarus”, which shows a vast landscape in perspective, with the main subjects becoming the focal point in the foreground.
'The Potato Eaters' by Vincent Van Gogh
Even today, chiaroscuro is often used in mediums like photography to incorporate more dynamism into images, with strong contrasts between the foreground and the background. Similar uses are seen in film-making where the actual motion of the camera enhances this differentiation even more starkly. A good example of this is “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, in which a juxtaposition of illumination and darkness makes for captivating sequences and bold imagery.
A poster of the film 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'
Chiaroscuro’s adoption has been witnessed in multiple art forms. Whether it is depth or drama that is required, this is an effective skill to achieve it. The subtlety of tones and shades merging beautifully into each other demands a high skill set, with an understanding of developing a narrative that intrigues the audience.
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