LIGHT-DARK IN THE BRIDGEWATER

A Chiaroscuro Masterpiece by Raffaello When did artists first use light-dark technique in painting? In Art 101 courses, this concept, often simplified and summed up by the term chiaroscuro (“light-dark”), is usually credited to Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi: 1571 - 1610). But that is not accurate on several fronts. The ideas behind Chiaroscuro and its more dramatic artistic extension, the tenebroso (Tenebrism) spotlight technique, were quite evident in the cinquecento. We only have to think of some of the works of El Greco, Tintoretto and Jacopo Bassano to remind us that artists working in the 1500s were already well aware of the dramatic effects of “Light-Dark.” Leonardo used chiaroscuro technique to masterful effect in many of his sketches and seseings. Presented for your analysis and wonder is another work of the Renaissance that displays the dramatic chiaroscuro technique of tenebroso It ie one of the most refined works of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio 1483-1520), known as the Bridgewater Madonna, held by the National Galleries of Scotland. In re the painting: “Technical studies of the painted surface of the Bridgewater Madonna during its restoration indicated that Raffaello set the scene within a landscape. Its elimination and replacement with a dark interior setting and a spotlight effect was evidently to provide a specific focus on the two figures, with dramatic emphasis on the contrasts of light and dark. “ The body of the Christ Child is carefully modelled to achieve a solid, volumetric effect, giving it a sculptural quality. The sculptural solidity and the torsion of the Child was probably influenced by Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo (see comments). How marvelously did Raffaello use colors here! Note the rich and deep Oltremare (Dark Ultramarine from Lapis Lazuli) in the Virgin’s drapery and the red madder lake of her blouse. The torsion of the christ child and the figura serpentinata twist of the Virgin’s torso add a dramatic and dynamic sense of motion to this masterpiece. Technical X-ray analysis shows that originally Raffaello had painted a landscape as background, typical of his earlier portrayals of the Virgin and Child. Raffaello likely later decided that choosing a dark background would allow a more subtle depiction of them, increasing the contrast between light and shade, and thus enhance the sense of volume and monumentality.