chiaroscuro

views updated Jun 08 2018

chi·a·ro·scu·ro / kēˌärəˈsk(y)oŏrō; kēˌarə-/ • n. the treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting. ∎  an effect of contrasted light and shadow created by light falling unevenly or from a particular direction on something: the chiaroscuro of cobbled streets.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

chiaroscuro

views updated May 23 2018

chiaroscuro Term for the opposition of light and dark in painting and drawing. Caravaggio and Rembrandt were masters of the dramatic use of chiaroscuro.

World Encyclopedia

chiaroscuro

views updated Jun 11 2018

chiaroscuro the treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting; an effect of contrasted light and shadow created by light falling unevenly or from a particular direction on something. Recorded from the mid 17th century, the word comes from Italian, from chiaro ‘clear bright’ (from Latin clarus) + oscuro ‘dark, obscure’ (from Latin obscurus).

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

chiaroscuro

views updated Jun 08 2018

chiaroscuro †painting in light and shade; disposition of light and shade. XVII. — It., f. chiaro CLEAR + oscuro dark, OBSCURE.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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