Chiaroscuro
キアロスクーロ / 16th century– / Technique / Painting Techniques
It carves form out of strong contrast and lets light itself tell the story and carry the feeling. The grammar of that light runs from painting through to film noir.
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At a glance
Visual cues
- A single light source
- Deep darkness
- Form carved by light
- Dramatic shadow
Best used for
- Portraits where a single lit area has to carry the whole story
- Lighting crime drama or stage work that builds tension from darkness
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Dictionary entry
- Type
- Put type only inside the lit band and leave the dark empty
- Composition
- Give most of the frame to darkness, keep highlights under a third
- Material
- One source, with a bounce lifting only the floor of the shadow
- Caution
- Darkness crushed in post carves no form, the direction of the light stays unreadable, and the image is merely dim.
- Further study
- Caravaggio / Rembrandt's lighting / its inheritance by cinematographers
Related entries
- Film Noir (フィルム・ノワール)Shared effects: Luxury / Calm.Compare Chiaroscuro and Film Noir
- Mezzotint (メゾチント)Shared effects: Luxury / Calm.Compare Chiaroscuro and Mezzotint
More from Painting Techniques
Continue through styles in the same Painting Techniques family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Gradient Mesh (グラデーション・メッシュ)Shared effects: Luxury / Calm.
- Magic Realism (マジック・リアリズム)Shared effects: Calm / Luxury.
- Novecento Italiano (ノヴェチェント・イタリアーノ)Shared effects: Luxury / Calm.
Browse all Painting Techniques entries
Cite this entry
The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.
- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/chiaroscuro
- Markdown
- [Chiaroscuro — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/chiaroscuro)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/chiaroscuro">Chiaroscuro — IndexStyle</a>