USE OF CHIAROSCURO TECHNIQUE IN PAINTINGS
Chiaroscuro in Italian means ‘light and shadow’ and this technique came into being during the renaissance period. This classic technique is adopted by artists to enhance certain important
features in their paintings. It could be used in creating shades and illusions, emphasising, illuminating and creating a feel in a painting that gives it a perception of depth, generating life in paintings. Putting emphasis on objects using bold contrasts, helps in conveying artist’s message to the viewer. It usually has
a single light source bringing out the photorealistic 3-dimensional form of the painting. The technique adds value and depth and is best suited for still life and portrait art. Chiaroscuro started
during the Renaissance period in fifteenth and sixteenth century. The artists wanted to paint the world as they viewed them. They used coloured papers for their drawings and here the paper had its own value. On this, light and dark areas were created using gouache and charcoal respectively or with the use of water colours. When light falls on any object it interacts with various surfaces and creates different gradations of shades that generate dramatic effects. The artist wishes it’s viewers to view see his/her painting as a whole although may desire certain features to get more noticed than the others.
This imparts the message to the viewer in a more convenient and subtle way. When light falls on
any object it interacts with various surfaces and creates different gradations of shades that generate dramatic effects. The artist wishes it’s viewers to view see his/ her painting as a whole although
may desire certain features to get more noticed than the others. This imparts the message to the
viewer in a more convenient and subtle way. Rembrandt who was a pioneer in chiaroscuro technique is known for his masterful approach towards colours, shadows and compositions that created masterpieces. The subjects in his paintings portrayed emotional depths, human experiences and a kind of unprompted
sensitivity that draws viewers’ attention and keeps them engaged. In his painting, the Holy family, Rafael has used chiaroscuro technique to cast light upon his lead subjects Jesus and Mary whereas the secondary subjects like Saint Elizabeth and John the Baptist are shown in subdued lighting and the rest as per priority have been shown in much darker background. The Italian painter Caravaggio excelled in
imparting body language to his subjects combined with dramatic effects produced using the chiaroscuro technique that came to be known as tenebrism. In this the subjects were bathed in bright lights and the shadows casted by the subjects were much darker. His paintings were inspired by The Holy family by Rafael (151 A.D.) the crucial moments that had taken place in history. ‘The girl with a pearl earring’, an enigmatic painting by Johannes Vermeer is a classic example of chiaroscuro with intricate play of light. He
has used light as the central element in his composition where the dark background immediately draws the attention of the viewer towards the girl, her gaze, her headdress, her half parted mouth and of course spotlights her pearl earring. Not only in older times but in modern times as well, this technique is still being used by artists to devise dramatic effects in their paintings with the play of light
and shadow. In spite of being cumbersome and time consuming artists still use this technique to create drama, show depth and highlight emotions in their art works.
