chiaroscuro

[ kee-ahr-uh-skyoor-oh ]
See synonyms for chiaroscuro on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural chi·a·ro·scu·ros.
  1. the distribution of light and shade in a picture.

  2. Painting. the use of deep variations in and subtle gradations of light and shade, especially to enhance the delineation of character and for general dramatic effect: Rembrandt is a master of chiaroscuro.

  1. a woodcut print in which the colors are produced by the use of different blocks with different colors.

  2. a sketch in light and shade.

Origin of chiaroscuro

1
1680–90; <Italian, equivalent to chiaro bright (<Latin clārus) + oscuro dark (<Latin obscūrus). See clear, obscure

Words Nearby chiaroscuro

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chiaroscuro in a sentence

  • And in the Flemish school, Rubens and Vandyke made their designs for the most part either in colours or in chiaroscuro.

    Seven Discourses on Art | Joshua Reynolds
  • In the decoration of this Correggio surpassed himself in his mastery of chiaroscuro and the foreshortening of the human figure.

    Cathedral Cities of Italy | William Wiehe Collins

British Dictionary definitions for chiaroscuro

chiaroscuro

/ (kɪˌɑːrəˈskʊərəʊ) /


nounplural -ros
  1. the artistic distribution of light and dark masses in a picture

  2. monochrome painting using light and dark only, as in grisaille

Origin of chiaroscuro

1
C17: from Italian, from chiaro clear + oscuro obscure

Derived forms of chiaroscuro

  • chiaroscurist, noun
  • chiaroscurism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012