claro-obscuro

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.

OriginSpanish claro-obscuro ← Italian chiaroscuro ← French clair-obscur →
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Meanings

nounclaro-obscuro (uncountable)
  1. archaicuncountableArchaic form of chiaroscuro.

Origin

  1. Frenchclair-obscur
  2. Italianchiaroscuro
  3. Spanishclaro-obscuro
  4. Englishclaro-obscuro

From Spanish claro-obscuro, from Italian chiaroscuro under influence from French clair-obscur.

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Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: claro-obscuro on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.