Tenebrist - tenebrism

DEFINITION

From the Italian words "tenebroso" and ???tenebrae??? and linked to the English root word of "murky, the reference is to a heightened form of Chiaroscuro. Also a ???tenebrae??? is a liturgical service during Holy Week in the western church. A tenebrist artist is one who paints in extreme contrasts of light and dark. Tenebrism was characteristic of Old Master Spanish, Italian and Dutch painters such as El Greco, Titian, Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Rembrandt. Sources: Rudolf Wittkower, "Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600-1750"; Wikipedia; BC Library Notes, 2008