Monday, October 1, 2012

Cool art term Monday

Sorry no alliteration today. I thought it might be fun to introduce everyone to an art term or concept that they may not be familiar with. Recently, I mentioned this little classical math and art tidbit to a friend and she was not familiar. I took it for granted that most people know that stuff.
Today I chose chiaroscuro as my term to show you.

Leonardo Da Vinci "Head of a girl' study
It is defined as a technique using the contrast between a painting's or drawing's  light and dark parts for dramatic effect. This contrast can create a powerful illusion of depth.


It may seem boring but it is really about contrast and ranging the spectrum of value.

Rembrandt  "Self portrait"
This self portrait is a wonderful example of exploring all of the lights and darks, creating high contrast.


I am partial to Da Vinci's drawings that exhibit this chiaroscuro.


This Zuber papered screen reminds me of those Da Vinci drawings. Chic, no?
I challenge you to bring the term chiaroscuro into a conversation this week. But please do not make the person with a quizzical look feel dumb, just tell them about contrast.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

You know me, I LOVE this art term idea and chiaroscuro. It makes all the difference in an art piece.
My son is looking at Davinci's as we speak in Florence...now that would be a fun field trip for us Kerry! Have a great day.
xo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

Well, thanks for letting me feel a little bit smarter this Monday. And I'm not bringing it up in a conversation because I wouldn't know how to pronounce it properly. Happy Monday Kerry!

www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

Lenny Lianne said...

This is a wonderful idea. A little something
to look forward to on Mondays.

Linda {Calling it Home} said...

Now this is really fun. I have no idea about any of this...so it's nice to learn. I will try to slip it into a sentence.