chiaroscuro.
An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to create the illusion of volume.
Meaning & usage
An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to create the illusion of volume.
A monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color.
A woodcut technique in which several woodcut blocks are used to print different shades of a color, or a woodcut print made by this technique.
A photographic technique in which one side of the subject, for example a face, is well lit and the other is in shadow.
Where this word comes from
First attested in the mid-17th century, borrowed from Italian chiaroscuro, from chiaro (“clear, bright”) + oscuro (“dark, obscure”).
Possessing the qualities of a work of chiaroscuro.
Where this word comes from
First attested in the mid-17th century, borrowed from Italian chiaroscuro, from chiaro (“clear, bright”) + oscuro (“dark, obscure”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.