Chiaroscuro: The Dramatic Play of Light and Shadow

The term chiaroscuro appeared in the 17th century and referred to a sharp contrast between highlights and shadows in painted and printed compositions. Renaissance artists manipulated the tones of shadows and highlights to create illusions of depth inside their painted spaces. Although particularly popular in the Baroque era, the chiaroscuro effect continued to thrive well into the modern era and became useful for early filmmakers. Read on to learn more about the chiaroscuro technique and the artists who mastered it.

Chiaroscuro is an artistic effect that creates depth and complexity in a painted scene by using contrasting planes of light and dark tone, usually in the form of highlights and shadows. Chiaroscuro manipulates the values of light and dark in order to give extra depth to the painted scenes, adding realistic nuance and complexity. Over the years, dramatic contrast was used by Renaissance artists, particularly those working in the styles of Baroque and Mannerism. The concept of chiaroscuro is still present in contemporary art, especially in the works of artists who are inspired by Renaissance-era art and who adapt it to present-day norms and expectations.

The term became widely used in the late 17th century in both its Italian and French versions, known as Clair-obscur, meaning clear-concealed. Originally, the term chiaroscuro was used for woodcut prints that were created with several different-colored blocks. Each block covered different fragments of the image, giving it tonal variety. Gradually, the term developed extra meanings and became applicable to the painted work with contrasting light and shadow.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo was not only a painter but an art theoretician who described various types of shadows in his Treatise on Painting. However, as noted by the famous art historian Ernst Gombrich, in his painted works Leonardo da Vinci treated light and shadow contrast in a manner different from that described in the treatise.

Leonardo paid extraordinary attention to the color value of his works so that the contrast would be harmonious. The dark background of his works is never simply dark—it is created with various tones of black and brown to create the realistic illusion of depth. He also preferred sharp contrasting forms to lingering transitions. He was the master of sfumato—a painting technique of softly blending contrasting fields of color into smoke-like transitions.

Chiaroscuro was extremely popular in the era of Baroque art. Baroque was partially a political decision heavily promoted by the Catholic Church. After the Protestant Reformation movement exposed the Church’s abuse of power, manipulation, and enormous accumulated wealth, the Catholics needed to fire back. Instead of refuting the obvious claims, they decided to double down on them by investing even more funds into the art and architecture of churches. While Protestantism appealed to reason, the Catholics relied on emotion. Baroque art was deliberately dramatic, often gruesome, and evoked compassion and empathy. Theatrical scenes of saints’ martyrdom were supposed to trigger fear, sympathy, and admiration for those who endured such suffering for their faith.

Baroque used contrasting light and expressive shadow to set the stage for dramatic and expressive scenes of devotion and suffering. The undoubted masters of this technique were Caravaggio, Orazio, and Artemisia Gentileschi. Later, it was adopted by late-stage Baroque artists known as Mannerists. Mannerism turned the expressive potential of Baroque to the maximum, manipulating not only light and shadow but also form and silhouette.

Spanish Baroque: Caravaggio’s Legacy in Naples

The most intense contrast of light and shadow can be found in the works of Spanish Baroque masters. At that time, Naples was a Spanish territory that was a safe haven for those who were wanted for crimes in the various Italian city-states. One such fugitive was Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. His great artistic talent was accompanied by an equally problematic personality and violent character. After a duel went horribly wrong and ended with the death of Caravaggio’s opponent, an heir to an affluent family, he was forced to flee to Naples. There, he started taking commissions and influenced a group of local artists who then spread his style to other Spanish cities.

Caravaggio was known for his careful rendering of lights and shadows and the chiaroscuro effect. He carefully planned the positions of invisible light sources on his paintings and manipulated tones to create the most convincing illusions. Many of his works were site-specific, commissioned for particular locations such as churches or private areas, and thus had to consider their spatial nuances.

In the hands of Spanish artists, Caravaggio’s methods became even more emotionally intense. Spanish Baroque painting was famous for the overwhelmingly intense contrasts and gory subject matter. In the theatrical lighting of chiaroscuro, scenes of violence and torture became extremely tense, with distorted faces and streams of blood immediately capturing the audience’s attention.

A notable segment of the Spanish Baroque painters were the students of Caravaggio, known as Caravaggisti. Not all of them have studied directly from the master, learning his principles from the finished works in Naples. The long list included the famous Jusepe de Ribera, an outstanding Spanish artist known for his violent scenes, and the alleged leader of the murderous Cabal of Naples. Francisco de Zurbaran preferred more peaceful subjects such as monks and saints but nonetheless employed Caravaggio’s principles. Later, chiaroscuro was successfully employed by Diego Velazquez, Francisco Goya, and other famous painters of his era.

Tenebrism is an art historical term that is often confused with chiaroscuro. Tenebrism, originating from the Italian word tenebroso (meaning dark or menacing), also relied on the contrast between lights and darks. However, it had less nuance in it. While chiaroscuro focuses on creating depth and volume by manipulating tones and shadows, tenebrism simplifies the equation by completely covering the background with intense black. Tenebrist paintings tend to be extremely impressive at first glance but unlike nuanced chiaroscuro, this dramatic effect soon wears out and seizes to surprise the viewer.

Tenebrism is usually considered a specific case of chiaroscuro, often found in the works of Caravaggio, Jusepe de Ribera, Tintoretto, and other Renaissance masters. It is less versatile and usually works only to highlight a specifically dramatic scene unfolding at the center of the composition. The deep, dark space behind the figures puts them in a spotlight and frames the crucial aspects of the scene.

Rubens & Rembrandt

A conversation on Baroque technical mastery is impossible without mentioning the two famous artists of Flemish and Dutch origin. Peter Paul Rubens, the greatest of Flemish painters, employed chiaroscuro to enhance the dynamism of his scenes and add volume to his figures. In his rendering of human faces, chiaroscuro was a valuable instrument to demonstrate the character and personality of his models.

If Caravaggio was the master of dark backgrounds and lurking shadows, Rembrandt van Rijn dominated light. Soft yet contrasting, it gave a surprising mystical glow to his works, which continue to mesmerize audiences. Rembrandt was especially celebrated for his group portraits, in which he managed to maintain focus on many figures at once so that they remained clearly recognizable and retained their own individualities. Chiaroscuro was a valuable instrument in achieving such an effect and arranging the composition.

In the modern era, chiaroscuro continued to be used in art, yet it received significantly less attention from artists and critics. However, this method made a surprising comeback in the creative domain that could appreciate the richness of dark tones as none other. The play of shadows became a popular expressive method in silent black-and-white films. Given the absence of sound and color, which are the principal expressive means in present-day films, directors and set designers had to manipulate shades of gray and black to build emotionally charged settings for their works.

Legendary films like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis used light and shadow contrast to highlight the mood and the conceptual nature of each scene. In the imaginary dystopia, the upper classes live in luxurious skyscrapers, while the working class serves them underground, giving their lives to the machines that power the city. The contrast of light and shadow indicates the dramatic difference between the lives of the privileged who pass in the bright lights of tropical gardens and spacious apartments, and the day-to-day struggle of the poor, who never see sunlight.