Drawing From Art: Light & Dark

Drawing From Art: Photography

LIGHT & DARK

The word photography comes from the Greek: photo= light & graphy= drawing: drawing with light. Light is the key element in any visual work of art. How the creator uses light directs the viewer’s attention to specific areas of the composition. Light determines form, line and the movement of the eye around the composition. Darks emphasize the light and may create a specific dynamic in the work.

When discussing the use of light in painting, one artist may leap to mind: Caravaggio. Ironically, Caravaggio was born Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Therefore, rather than encroach on the great Michelangelo’s name, Caravaggio assumed his surname as his signature. The iconic Michelangelo died seven years before Caravaggio’s birth; however, Caravaggio deeply admired the works of Michelangelo and claimed to have learned a great deal from studying the master’s work. The human form that Michelangelo “released” from a block of marble became a strong influence on Caravaggio’s own paintings. While Michelangelo was known mainly for his sculptures (excepting the Sistine Chapel paintings and others, of course), Caravaggio became famous during his lifetime for his preferred medium of painting. Caravaggio’s subjects were primarily religious in nature and his dramatic religious portrayals distinguished Caravaggio’s art during his day. However, for centuries to come, Caravaggio was/is set apart from his peers by his intense development of chiaroscuro: dark darks juxtaposed with brilliant lights. This technique gives his works a stunningly heightened and unique appearance. One might say that even beyond his wealth of electrifyingly dramatic religious subject matter (for example: Judith Beheading Holofernes), the Caravaggio chiaroscuro technique elevated the painter from many other artists for all time.

Using chiaroscuro demands an understanding of light and how it effects and brings out form. The shadows/darker areas of a composition are important, but if they are not guided by light, darks may distort form. That is to say that the exact placement of a pinpoint of light in the painting of an eye will determine the way the artist places the dark pupil or the lighted area under a street lamp must be precise so that the surrounding dark shadows can create the space, mood and/or reality of the scene. This holds true in abstract as well as realistic paintings. Caravaggio took the darks and lights to extremes in his technique of chiaroscuro.  

I have used chiaroscuro in many of my photographs and paintings.

First, I carefully study the light: where it falls; its intensity; its color (Yes, light does have a color or a warm/cool aura.) and how it affects the subject. I also consider how light radiates out from its main source and that moreover light has noise (photons) in it. Then, I evaluate the way the subject should be lighted and where the darks/shadows will be the most effective.

Occasionally I use tenebrism, which is a very forceful type of chiaroscuro that Caravaggio especially preferred for his most commanding paintings (The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula and The Taking of Christ). Tenebrism is a difficult technique to use because many very small details may be sacrificed to get the appropriate impression of the subject with brilliant light and powerful darks. Luminous lights and the deepest darks create a profound overall effect, juxtaposing contrasts between light and dark to provide a significant distinction that enhances the subject.   

In his painting Sleeping Cupid, Caravaggio uses a very strong light to mold the form of the sleeping child. Much of the body is created out of brilliant light. The viewer’s eye is directed from the face, whose chin, nose and cheek have the lightest lights to the rest of the figure, which is illuminated so that the viewer is awed by the “life” Caravaggio has painted with light using tenebrism. The powerful darks emphasize this life.

On my visit to Kahjuraho, India, I was overwhelmed by the spirituality of the Hindu and Jain temples in the Chhatapur district. The marvelous architecture and sculptural details on the temples are breathtaking.

Through my photography I wanted to convey the impact that the representation of the gods and goddesses had on me as I spent many hours photographing in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Using the brilliant light and deep darks of tenebrism that I had studied in Caravaggio’s art, I created a holy atmosphere to illustrate how this sacred place meaningfully affected me. The intense light coming in through the window highlights just enough of the religious forms and their ascension. The darks give the lights their luminosity and symbolic meaning. 

Lesson learned from Caravaggio: Carefully use light to create form and then slam in the darks to emphasize the brilliance of light.