Slideshow image

Chiaroscuro, from the Italian words "chiaro" (light) and "scuro" (dark), is a powerful artistic technique that plays with light and shadow to create depth, emotion, and drama.

Chiaroscuro is the art of light and shadow, from classical masterpieces by Leonardo and Caravaggio, Romantic works by Goya, to modern uses in art and film. (Taken from this website)

Without the nuances of light and dark, without shadows, the world is without shape - particularly in the world of painting, of the  two dimensions of a flat surface. It is also the case in our everyday living - pure light dazzles and flattens, deep dark obscures, when light and dark work together there is shape and form. 

There is another article about Chiaroscuro here

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Image - the Adoration of the Shepheds by Caravaggio (1609) - Public Domain, found on Wikimedia Commons