chiaro-oscuro

A form of chiaroscuro — An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to create the illusion of volume.

OriginItalian chiaro-oscuro ← French clair-obscur →
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Meanings

nounchiaro-oscuro (plural chiaro-oscuros)

plural chiaro-oscuros

  1. archaicArchaic form of chiaroscuro.

Origin

  1. Frenchclair-obscur
  2. Italianchiaro-oscuro
  3. Englishchiaro-oscuro

From Italian chiaro-oscuro, under influence from French clair-obscur.

More words from Italian, French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chiaro-oscuro. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chiaro-oscuro

MLA

“chiaro-oscuro.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chiaro-oscuro. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chiaro-oscuro,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chiaro-oscuro.

Source: chiaro-oscuro on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.