Chiaroscuro

I met with Fr. John (pastor of St. Clare of Assisi) for the first meeting of the project and we discussed at length several directions with many references to his appreciation for the Venetian masters. On many occasions he would leaf through his big books of art and express to me his great admiration and understanding of Venetian Renaissance art. The pages always seemed to stop turning when we got to Tiziano or Titian – obviously a favorite for Fr. J.

It wasn't long until I too eventually fell in love with works like the one above – "The Assumption and Consecration of the Virgin". Chiaroscuro was the method used to paint or draw during the Renaissance period – meaning light and dark. Artists would skillfully and strategically define the volume of their subjects by using tonal contrasts of color. The result was dramatic and 3 dimensional. This was clearly the effect we were both after.