Chiaroscuro refers to how light and shadow are rendered on an object in a painting to create the perception of depth. The technique is commonly associated with the Renaissance, where it was brought to prominence by Leonardo da Vinci in such works at The Adoration of the Magi (ca. 1481-82) and Caravaggio in The Incredulity of St. Thomas (ca. 1601-02).
The word chiaroscuro is oxymoronic; it comes from the contrasting Italian words for “clear, light” (chiaro) and “obscure, dark” (oscuro).
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/art-terms-techniques-vocabulary