A Digital Skeleton Key to ArtSymbolism of Light and Dark in European Oil Painting
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Winder, John. “A Digital Skeleton Key to ArtSymbolism of Light and Dark in European Oil Painting.” UMBC Review: Journal of Undergraduate Research 13 (2012): 64–89. https://ur.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2020/04/umbcReview2012.pdf#page=64
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Chiaroscuro, from the Italian chiaro (clear, light) and oscuro (dark), is the intentional use of contrasting light and dark, or shading, in artwork to give the appearance of three-dimensional form. The presence of chiaroscuro in paintings, then, is the depiction of shadows to achieve realism. Chiaroscuro not only permits mimesis in the painter’s work but also infuses the art with symbolic gravity. In particular, the oil painters of Europe from 1500 to 1900 CE endeavored to present an illusion of reality in their artwork, making extensive and sometimes exaggerated use of chiaroscuro.