Chiaroscuro

Modelling through light and dark can make a two-dimensional figure appear solid and spatial. When the contrast becomes extreme and large parts of the subject disappear into darkness, the effect approaches tenebrism, a particularly dramatic variant.

When Chiaroscuro is given as a technique, it describes the process that created the work's impression, structure or surface. Technique and subject are distinct: very different images can be made using the same method.

The process can often be read in edges, lines, layers and surface. It can also explain natural variation between examples and offer useful evidence about workflow, edition and appropriate care.