Arts & Culture
Chiaroscuro and Tenebrism: Dramatic Lighting in Baroque Painting
Quick fact
Caravaggio's tenebrism often places figures in a pitch-black background, with a single shaft of light illuminating only essential details, creating a theatrical, almost cinematic effect that was unheard of in earlier art.
Why this is interesting
You know that dramatic moment in a movie when a single beam of light cuts through darkness, revealing a face or an object? That effect was invented, perfected, and made famous by Baroque painters centuries ago. How did they do it, and why was it so revolutionary?