Chiaroscuro

1
Chiaroscuro

• Head of the Virgin in Three Quarter View Facing
  Right,
• 1508-12.
• Leonardo da Vinci (Italian 1452-1519).
• Charcoal, black and red chalks, traces of contour
  sketch in pen and brown ink.

2
What is Chiaroscuro?

• An Italian term that dates from the Renaissance
  (1500s). Chiaroscuro describes drawings,
  paintings and prints that display both a high
  contrast of darks and lights (dramatic lighting)
  and subtle gradations of value between light and
  dark (subtle shading).
• Chiaroscuro literally means light/dark.
• Renaissance artists began using chiaroscuro when
  they became interested in how light could
  illuminate a forms contours, increasing the
  sense of depth.

3
What techniques and materials did artists like
Leonardo use?

• Materials
• Charcoal and different colored chalks
• Inks (white with brown or black)
• Renaissance artists also often used prepared
  (colored) paper.

Jan Gossert, 1520, Adam and Eve, pen ink with
white water color on blue grey paper.
4
In Europe, chiaroscuro became the approved
drawing style of art schools. Here is a charcoal
and chalk drawing by Maurice Quentin de la Tour
from the 1700s. Note the use of white chalk
(white conte) to acentuate the fall of light on
certain areas. Chalk and charcoal.
5
The technique of chiaroscuro is often taught
todayby having students draw simple white
objects under a single strong light source.
These conditions allow students to see the subtle
gradations of shadow invoked by artists who did
not actually observe chiaroscuro in nature but
created a system of imagined dramatic light. The
current trend is to have you draw simple
geometric shapes. In the 18th and 19th century
artists perfected techniques of chiaroscuro by
drawing white plaster casts of ancient sculpture.
6
Leonardo da Vinci wrote that the perfect way to
illuminate the head of a young woman was to seat
her in a courtyard with high walls painted black
and direct sunlight diffused by a muslin canopy.
Who knows, he might have tried this once, but
its a safe bet to say that he primary imagined
this ideal light.
7
Here is a drawing of a cast of a foot by Paul
Maillet
8
A simple shape like an egg is a good place to
start. Drapery or a crumpled paper bag (your
homework) is a good next step.
9
Teachers have given the different shadows and
values we see different names.
10
In a controlled environment, the area of the
object directly in the path of the light source
will be the lightest tone. We call this area the
highlight. The areas blocked from the light
source are usually the darkest. Blocked light
shadow. The areas parallel to the light source
are usually mid-tones. Because objects usually
exist in relation to a ground or other objects
reflection also affects value.
11
How to get started?Make a six tone value scale.
Pick one of these three techniques for creating
value.
12
Teams of two should set up an egg still life on
white drapery. Use a clip on light to establish
a single strong light source.
13
Next, do a quick contour drawing of your
composition in light pencil
14
Now start adding values, using your value scale
as a guide. I like to start with the darkest
darks. Find highlights, mid-tones and shadows.
Extra credit if anyone locates an antumbrambra
(thats the lighter halo of a shadow that
sometimes extends from its core.)