exemplary examples of Chiaroscuro

Caravaggio did much more than conceive tenebrism, his artwork inspired the likes of Rubens,and Rembrandt. It could be said that the style Caravaggio defined would go on to form the basis of modern art. Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness is considered a masterpiece and a prime example of Caravaggio's use of tenebrism and chiaroscuro, as well as an affirmation of the artists place as the father of Italian Baroque.

As the title would have you believe, this painting depicts a rather well-off looking “Peasant” lighting a candle using an ember held by tongs. The ember cats a glow which allows us to see the rest of the image, including the “Peasant's” clothes, and his hat, including the peacock feather stuck in it. Now I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen a Peasant with a peacock feather plumed hat before, though perhaps the artist has. Nevertheless, this is a prime example of chiaroscuro.

Gerrit Dou was a master of the minute, and in this work we see nothing less. From the handwriting in the book on the desk, to the details in the astronomers cloak, the small details that make up believable works are all present, and that is aside from the masterful use of chiaroscuro in this masterpiece.

When most people think of Rembrandt, well let’s be honest, most people don't know who Rembrandt is, but the ones who do probably think of his work as oil on canvas portraiture. In fact, he even as a portrait lighting technique named after him. What most don't know, is that Rembrandt really like etching things, mostly landscapes. The next four works in this gallery represent Rembrandt's use of chiaroscuro and tenebrism in his etchings, look closely and see how much his work is influenced by Caravaggio, who we saw earlier.