Painting. the use of deep variations in and subtle gradations of light and shade, esp. to enhance the delineation of character and for general dramatic effect: Rembrandt is a master of chiaroscuro.
3.
a woodcut print in which the colors are produced by the use of different blocks with different colors.
4.
a sketch in light and shade.
[Origin: 1680–90; < It, equiv. to chiaro bright (< L clārus) + oscuro dark (< L obscūrus). See clear, obscure]
chiaroscuro [Ital.,=light and dark], term once applied to an early method of printing woodcuts from several blocks and also to works in black and white or monotone. Today it is used loosely to refer to the distribution of light and dark in painting.
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Audio Help [kee-ahr-uh-skyoo