Chiaroscuro EngravingCranach, Raphael, Rubens... — louvre.fr

Color wood engraving, known as chiaroscuro in Italy, was first practiced in Europe from the early 1500s to around 1650. It was the outcome of technical and artistic attempts to impart subtle nuances of color in printed form. Both an imitation of other art media—drawing first and foremost—and a medium in its own right, it circulated widely and attracted real interest from certain painters, who saw it as a new way to explore light and shade and experiment with monochrome.

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