Thought lit by the sun

when all others are occluded

is an epiphany

Recently a friend asked what the counterpart to chiaroscuro in painting would be in literature. My mind immediately went to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… However, I bit back my knee-jerk answer and it has continued to poke at me ever since.

To quote from The National Gallery in London, [Chiaroscuro] “is an Italian term which literally means ‘light-dark’. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted.”

The obvious answer is any time an author wants to delineate emotions. Those contrasts in the definition can be happy-sad, fun-boring, good-evil and many others. All of these dichotomies and many more can be light vs. dark moments that occur in a piece. But why would that be necessary?

I believe good writing has a purpose. We want the writer to come away with something. Whether that is solving a problem, overcoming obstacles (ourselves, others, or nature), or finding humor [or insert emotion here] in situations, we need to set expectations and develop depth in the writing.

That contrast can show up in various places. Your protagonist (the character that moves your story forward) can experience a change in emotions. Your antagonist (the character that tries to prevent the protagonist from accomplishing their goal) may reveal the depths of their depravity or their deceptions with rapid changes in thought patterns. The setting of the story may change from a happy sunshine filled day to a dark and stormy night…

A piece would be boring and unfulfilling without some sort of chiaroscuro (light vs dark) to bring out the characters, the story line, and our own investment in reading. I believe it goes deeper than that. Good writing captivates and maintains the reader’s interest with clear development.

The line between light and dark is not a straight one. It also reveals the shadows and highlights. The details are brought out by the examination of light and dark. Here the contrast is stark, there the blur brings on questions. Good questions move the piece forward and involve the reader in their resolution. Bad questions will frustrate the reader and send them out of the piece.

Consider the dark and light in your work. Do you have a theme that you follow? Does the piece in front of you need a more gripping message, a more detailed dichotomy? Consider the chiaroscuro of it.

This week I will again be at Vintage and Modern Books Tuesday 12:30 – 2:30. The last Tuesday of each month (Aug. 26 is next) I will be in a fitness related location. August is Trek Bicycle Store of Racine. See you at books this week or bikes next week!

—Christy Hoff, ArtRoot Writer-in-Residence