Chiaroscuro

Lucretia, 1664 by Rembrandt
* Note the dark background, figure bathed in light and jewels and dress glinting in the light*


(Italian, 'light-dark') Pronounced "keer-ah- skeer-oh".
In painting and graphic art, the balanced use of light and shade, particularly where contrasting luminous and opaque materials are represented, for example, glinting metal and dark velvet. Masters of chiaroscuro include Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Caravaggio. The term is also used to describe a monochromatic painting employing light and dark shades only. (Brockhampton)