What is "tenebrism"

1959, with -ism + tenebroso (1886), in reference to 17c. Italian painters in the style of Caravaggio, from Italian tenebroso "dark," from Latin tenebrosus "dark, gloomy," from tenebrae "darkness" (see temerity).

n. A style of painting using very pronounced chiaroscuro, with darkness a dominating feature of the image.

Tenebrism, from the Italian, tenebroso (murky), also called dramatic illumination, is a style of painting using very pronounced chiaroscuro, where there are violent contrasts of light and dark, and where darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image. The technique was developed to add drama to an image through a spotlight effect, and was popular during the Baroque period of painting.