THE MASQUARADE The colorful costumes contrasted with the darkness of the stage to create a
tenebrism reminiscent of Baroque paintings
The effect was a
tenebrism that conveyed the subject's movement more effectively than conventional lighting ever could have.
Alongside the
tenebrism, there is also glorious and daring colour.
The darkness in Caravaggio's painting contributes to a powerful visual impact but it also possesses a metaphorical quality that goes well beyond mere
tenebrism, bespeaking a more spiritual darkness.
Viewers who duck out of the glare and into the darkened projection room can develop a visceral appreciation for Goldin's crepuscular world--from the baroque
tenebrism of unwashed linens to the meticulous rituals of a drag king's evening toilette to the slimy sheen of a photoflash against a black vinyl bar booth--a world that provided sanctuary for people escaping the chipper, overlit spaces of mainstream culture.
Creating a correspondence with his technique, Ramesh employs
tenebrism or intense contrasts of tonal values of light and shadow in painting the lamps, which enhances the works' conceptual valency.
The most recognized feature in Caravaggio's painting is his use of extreme chiaroscuro (sometimes called "
tenebrism"), subjects transfixed in a bright beam of light that falls quickly into shadow and increasingly darker into a surrounding, opaque blackness, heightening color as it intensifies detail and facial expression.
Caravaggio perfected a heightened chiaroscuro, called
tenebrism, which intersperses dark, murky spaces with areas of spectacular intensity.
Miranda is not trying to reproduce
Tenebrism, but he did have to dominate the technique to be able to apply the concept--that of creating a sharp contrast between the lighted and unlit parts of the work.
By paying close attention to the nature of his successful commissions, and even reclaimed rejections, Pugliesi helps clarify the questions that may be easily overlooked, such as the meaning of his alternately interpreted famous or infamous use of
tenebrism, which "underpins Caravaggio's reception as a great and moving religious artist" (33).
Isabel, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2002 with a Masters degree in Fine Art, says she uses the language of still life painting and the intense illumination of
tenebrism - from the Italian word 'tenebroso' meaning 'murky' - which contrasts light with dark shadows.
Cranach's nimble intricate drawing, shunning all tricks of
tenebrism and sfumato, captures something akin to gloating suffused in the Elector's heavy mien and tired eyes as, rubbing his thumbs together (a characteristic gesture seen in other portraits of him), he envisages the continuance of his line and the Protestant alliance which he hoped his son's marriage would bring about.