Slide 1
Light and dark describe form
Chiaroscuro uses tonal contrasts to suggest the volume of figures and objects. The Italian term brings light and dark together.
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Colour and tone are different features of a passage. Two areas can differ strongly in brightness even when their hues are similar, allowing modelling without a dramatic change of colour.
Slide 2
A face turns through shadow
Changes from light to shade can make a painted face seem rounded. The transition suggests surfaces turning away from illumination.
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Leonardo used tonal modelling to strengthen the three-dimensional impression of his figures. The technique helps a flat surface imply a solid body occupying space.
Slide 3
Contrast can carry drama
Strong light-dark differences can make selected figures or actions stand out. Caravaggio used such contrasts for dramatic as well as descriptive effects.
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In The Supper at Emmaus, lighting works alongside expressive gestures. The narrative impact emerges from their combination, rather than from darkness considered in isolation.
Slide 4
A shadow belongs to the design
Painted shadows can link or separate forms within a composition. They are chosen parts of the image as well as signs of illumination.
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Caravaggio also uses foreshortening: forms pointing towards the viewer appear compressed in length. This spatial cue cooperates with tonal modelling to make his gestures seem to project beyond the picture's flat surface.
Slide 5
A technique can serve different purposes
Chiaroscuro does not name one fixed level of darkness. It can describe subtle modelling or a much stronger contrast across a scene.
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The National Gallery distinguishes Leonardo's emphasis on volume from Caravaggio's dramatic effects. Comparing purposes is more useful than treating every dark painting as the same kind of experiment.
Sources
- Chiaroscuro glossary
National Gallery
- The Supper at Emmaus
National Gallery