Close
What is Tenebrism in Film-

What is Tenebrism in Film?

Throughout the history of filmmaking, various techniques that are quite dominant in the world of fine art have made their way into filmmaking and production. For example, “chiaroscuro” or tenebrism are such examples of art techniques making their way into cinema. But what is tenebrism in film? As we look at what tenebrism is and how it influences filmmaking, we see just how influential art techniques can be in the industry and the impact that various art forms have on the screen.

antique movie reel

What is Tenebrism?

Tenebrism is a style of painting that was developed over the 17th century by Spanish and Italian artists, specifically started by Caravaggio first and then later being seen recreated by several other artists of the era.

The Tenebrism style was characterized by predominantly dark tones and shadows throughout with very dramatically contrasting effects of light shown through. 

The term Tenebrism is derived from the Italian ‘tenebroso’ meaning darkened and obscuring. The term tenebrism describes paintings in which much of the figures are seen in a predominantly dark setting but their faces, and often their hands, are illuminated by lights.

Artists, such as Caravaggio and others from the era that created this style of art were described as tenebrist.

Tenebrism style is typically dark, mysterious and dramatic illumination with violent contrasts of light and dark. Tenebrism means darkness. Likewise, ciaroscuro or Chiaroscuro features contrasts of light and dark in which the darkness becomes the most dominant figure in the image and attracts audience attention..

Tenebrism in Film

Tenebrism in film represents subjects that have been illuminated with a single light that is typically quite strong and has been posed against a backdrop of mysterious and vast darkness.

More commonly, in film we see chiaroscuro used for a slightly less extreme contrast of light used to enhance the illusion that audiences have of three-dimensionality on screen.

In fact, we rarely hear the term tenebrism in film environments such as on sets or when creating or outlining techniques to be utilized in production. Instead we see the word chiaroscuro being widely adopted in the field.

Similarly, chiaroscuro also comes from the Italian and is a term that is used to describe the film technique which involves producing dramatic effects using light and dark contrasts.

We see chiaroscuro frequently in black and white films, Hollywood Film Noir, and in many German Expressionist films from the era.

The use of tenebrism in painting, and now chiaroscuro in film, represents inspiration toward building a particular book among the audience based on the visual works seen on the screen.

So, next time you ask, “What is tenebrism in film?” Consider rephrasing to include, “and how does it relate to chiaroscuro lighting to create mysterious emotional connections?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *