Tenebrist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An artist, typically a painter, who works in a style with stark contrasts between deep shadow and bright light
2. A painter known for dramatic chiaroscuro in which figures emerge from almost pitch-black backgrounds
3. Someone who creates works where strong illumination against deep darkness is the defining visual feature

Etymology: Tenebrism is the name for the dramatic style of painting in which large areas of a canvas sink into deep shadow while a few figures are lit by a sharp, concentrated light. Its best-known practitioner is Caravaggio, whose stark chiaroscuro set the model for later painters. The word "tenebrist" was formed by back-formation from "tenebrism," so it was made by stripping the suffix from the existing word, not by building up from a Latin root. The core of the name is the Latin "tenebrae," meaning "darkness" or "shadows," the same word that gives the church service of Tenebrae, held in the darkened church during Holy Week. Painters described as tenebrists were defined by this darkness, and the term "tenebrism" (the older noun) came first, with "tenebrist" following as a name for a practitioner.