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Tenebrism, fromItaliantenebroso ('dark, gloomy, mysterious'), also occasionally calleddramatic illumination, is a style ofpainting using especially pronouncedchiaroscuro, where there are violent contrasts oflight anddark, and where darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image. The technique was developed to add drama to an image through aspotlight effect,[1] and is common inBaroque paintings. Tenebrism is used only to obtain a dramatic impact whilechiaroscuro is a broader term, also covering the use of less extreme contrasts of light to enhance the illusion of three-dimensionality.
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The artistCaravaggio is generally credited with the invention of the style, although this technique was also used by earlier artists such asAlbrecht Dürer in his several self portraits; byTintoretto in his dramatic religious paintings, such asThe Miracle of St Mark; byEl Greco, who painted three versions of a composition witha boy, a man, and a monkey grouped in darkness around a single flame; and lesser known painters such asAdam Elsheimer, who painted night-scenes with a restricted lighted areas. The term is usually applied to artists from the 17th century onward.[citation needed]
Among the best known tenebrist artists are Italian, Dutch and Spanish followers of Caravaggio. These include the Italian Baroque follower of Caravaggio,Artemisia Gentileschi, who was an outstanding exponent of tenebrism.[2] Other exponents include the Dutch painters of theUtrecht School and the Spanish paintersFrancisco Ribalta,Jusepe de Ribera, and their followers, with the term most often being applied to these painters.[citation needed]
Tenebrism is sometimes applied to other 17th-century painters in what has been called the "candlelight tradition". These includeGeorges de La Tour, who painted many works illuminated with a single candle,Trophime Bigot,Gerrit van Honthorst, andRembrandt. In FlandersAdam de Coster was recognized as a leading tenebrist who excelled in scenes in which a single candle has its light blocked by an object.[3] The Dutch artistGodfried Schalcken painted many candle-lit scenes. The northern painters (but not always Rembrandt) often achieved a mood of stillness and tranquility through their extreme lighting, rather the reverse of the impression that Spanish painters intended. They are typically as interested in the very dimly-lit areas of the painting as the spot-lit ones, and their light diffuses gently across much of the picture area.[citation needed]
Later, similar compositions were painted byJoseph Wright of Derby and other artists of theRomantic Movement, but the term is rarely used to characterize their work in general.[4]
