tenebroso or
tenebrism - Tenebroso
is an Italian word, literally meaning dark and gloomy. Both tenebroso
and its English equivalent, tenebrism, refer to a style
of painting characterized by
high contrast between
light and shade
-- emphasis placed
on chiaroscuro to achieve
dark, dramatic effects.
Frequently the main subjects
of tenebrist pictures are
illuminated by a single source of light, as if a spotlight shone
upon them, leaving other areas in darkness. Such pictures have
been called "night pictures" painted in the "dark
manner." The most reknowned tenebrists have been "Caravaggio",
Michelangelo Merisi (Italian, 1571/73-1610), Georges De La Tour
(French, 1593-1652), and Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669).
Examples:
"Caravaggio", Michelangelo Merisi (Italian, 1571/73-1610), The Crucifixion of St. Andrew, 1607, oil on canvas, 202.5 x 152.7 cm, Cleveland Museum of Art.
Gerrit van Honthorst (Dutch, 1590-1656), The Denial of Saint Peter, c. 1620, oil on canvas, Minneapolis Institute of Arts. See Dutch art.
Georges de La Tour (French, 1593-1652), Christ with St. Joseph in the Carpenter's Shop, c. 1640, oil on canvas, 1.37 x 1.02 m, Louvre. See Baroque.
Georges De La Tour, Magdalen with the Smoking Flame, c. 1640, oil on canvas, 46 x 36 1/8 inches (116.8 x 91.8 cm), Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1594-1632), Concert, c. 1628-1630(?), oil on canvas, 1.75 x. 2.16 m, Louvre.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), The Raising of Lazarus, c. 1630, oil on panel, 37 7/8 x 32 inches (96.2 x 81.3 cm), Los Angeles County Museum of Art. See Baroque.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Nicolaes Ruts, 1631, oil on panel, 46 x 34 3/8 inches (116.8 x 87.3 cm), Frick Collection, NY.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, The Night Watch, oil on canvas, 1642.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, 1653, oil on canvas, 56 1/2 x 53 3/4 inches (143.5 x 136.5 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. (On the Met's page, you can enlarge any detail.)
Also see Baroque, Caravaggisti, crepuscular, luminosity, night blindness (nyctalopia), and nocturne.
