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chiaroscuro

chiaroscuro

3 9.9
A strong contrast between light and dark in paintings or photos that shows depth
  • noun
  • /ˌkiːəroʊˈskjʊəroʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : claroscuro
  • The artist used chiaroscuro to give the painting a dramatic sense of depth and dimension.
  • chiaroscuro effect

Examples

  • In the fourth panel, the artist stood before the window, nicely rendered in chiaroscuro with backlighting.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The finest example of baroque chiaroscuro ever created.

  • And the great Prince of chiaroscuro was Caravaggio.

  • The play of light, the chiaroscuro shading...

  • Low-key lighting is a style of lighting that attempts to create a chiaroscuro effect.

    Academic text (2008)
  • There are evident indications of linear perspective and chiaroscuro.

    Academic text (2014)
  • A chiaroscuro effect is what I prefer anyway, a combination of airiness and murkiness.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Saks and Quinn emerge through the chiaroscuro of smoke and light and shadow.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Mostly, it is a composition of light and dark, a striking chiaroscuro landscape that emphasizes the vulnerability of humans in the blaze.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In addition, the paintings and prints with the illusionistic effects produced by European perspective and chiaroscuro opened up fresh ground for visual curiosities, wonders, and experiments.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

chiaroscuro technique
vschiaroscuro
  • Specialized
9.9

A method using strong light and dark differences to make images look three-dimensional

has identical meaning but is a single-word name

Antonyms

uniformity
  • Specialized
18 4.6

The state of being the same in all parts

flatness
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A painting or surface with little shine and depth

Compounds

chiaroscuro technique
  • Specialized
9.9

A method using strong light and dark differences to make images look three-dimensional

How Contrastive

chiaroscuro
  • Specialized
3 9.9
shading
11 3.1

Surface Forms

chiaroscuro singular
chiaroscuros plural

Etymology

Chiaroscuro comes from Italian parts chiaro ('light') and scuro ('dark'), so it literally means 'light-dark'. Artists used the word for big differences of light and shadow, and that's why chiaroscuro now means using bright lights and deep shadows to make a picture feel more real and full of depth.