Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling great.

My name's Miss.

Avsal and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm excited about that because today we are looking at light and dark.

In fact, our lesson is called "Light and Dark in Fine Art".

I wonder if you've explored this much yourself and don't worry if you have or you haven't, we are gonna be getting into it today.

Our lesson comes from the Unit of Work Foundation Workshops.

So this is really something quite foundational, light and dark and art, and we're about to start.

So if you are ready with some energy, enthusiasm and focus, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can review the range of ways artists have been inspired by light and dark in fine art.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them, chiaroscuro, silhouette and contrast.

chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrast between light and dark to create depth and drama in a drawing or painting.

Silhouette, this is a dark shape or outline of something against the lighter background, showing only the outline with no internal detail and contrast the difference between elements like light and dark or rough and smooth that makes parts of an artwork stand out.

These are our keywords.

Let's look out and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called Light and Dark in Fine Art and it has three learning cycles.

First of all, artist spotlight, light and dark.

Next, visual deconstruction, light and dark.

And finally, personal connection in art, light and dark.

Let's begin with artist spotlight, light and dark.

Now I would like you to describe how light and dark has been used in this work to create visual interest and meaning.

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

There are many reasons why light and dark are popular themes in art, light and dark are also applied using many techniques in art.

Some of the themes and techniques that use light and dark are chiaroscuro, one of our keywords, to communicate mood and atmosphere, symbolism, to create silhouettes and light installations.

Some artists use light and dark to create mood, atmosphere, and contrast in artworks, this technique is known as chiaroscuro.

This technique was popularised during the Renaissance, A period in Western art history.

What other ways can light and dark be used in art? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

So what does chiaroscuro mean? Pause here and share.

What's your understanding of this term? well, this first bit, chiaro means light in Italian and scuro means dark in Italian.

So chiaroscuro is a technique that uses strong contrast between light and dark to create depth and drama in a drawing or painting.

Let's have a check for understanding, what is chiaroscuro used for in art? Is it A, to achieve flat shapes and patterns with block printing? B, to create depth and drama using light and dark.

C, to draw with only outlines using charcoal or ink or D, to mix bright colours together with rare pigments.

Pause here while you decide.

What is chiaroscuro used for in art? Well done if you chose B.

Indeed, it is to create depth and drama using light and dark.

Both historic and contemporary artists can use chiaroscuro including Joseph Wright of Derby was known for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro in his depictions of scientific experiments like an experiment on a bird in the air pump, 1768.

Andrew Hem's, The Journey Begins, 2015, uses rich colours and strong contrasting tone to draw our attention and create an atmospheric scene.

And Mohini Chandra makes subtle use of darkness and selective lighting to draw attention to identity objects to create intimacy in her installation, Paradise Lost 2019-21.

Light and dark can also symbolise different things across different cultures and art movements.

What do you think the light and dark in this artwork symbolise? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas, let's hear from Laura.

"The light and dark here reflect yin and yang, a Chinese concept of balance." And Jun, "It's about how opposite forces need each other to exist and remain in balance." I wonder if you came up with an answer like this.

The symbolism of light and dark can vary.

For example, in Lakota culture, black symbolises honour, respect and adulthood and is linked to natural forces.

White represents life and intellect.

In Hinduism, light signifies knowledge, truth and divine presence, and dark links to ignorance.

Kifwebe masks of the Songye and Luba peoples use red, white and black to symbolise the duality and harmony of life.

Do you know of any other interpretations for light and dark? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's take a look at some artworks that invite audiences to interpret the symbolic use of light and dark.

These include Cornelia Parker using light and shadows in her installation, Cold Dark Matter, An Exploded View 1991, which explores ideas of violence and beauty.

In Chitra Ganesh's installation, A City Will Share Her Secrets If You Know How To Ask, 2021, bright vinyl panels illuminate under-recognized queer and trans narratives, suggesting light as truth or revelation amid erasure.

Artists use silhouettes to create strong contrast and explore ideas like identity, mystery and storytelling.

What does this silhouette make you think about? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

It makes me think about growth in nature and how we are connected to those.

Artists making use of silhouettes in their work include Kara Walker use of silhouettes in Darkytown Rebellion, 2001, to show dramatic scenes from history, letting the shadows tell emotional and sometimes disturbing stories about race and power.

Christian Boltanski uses shadows in Theatre of Shadows, 1984, to create ghostly, mysterious figures that make us think about memory, loss and people from the past.

And Lotte Reiniger pioneered the use of silhouettes in films, creating animated stories, often inspired by fairytales and myths.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? Artists only use silhouettes to show detailed features and realistic textures.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Silhouettes are not normally used to show fine details, but focus on strong shapes and contrasts.

This helps artists highlight emotions, create mystery and explore themes like identity and storytelling without relying on realistic features.

Artists can use light and dark as a medium by incorporating light sources or creating light installations in their work.

Can you think of any examples of a light installation? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Maybe you thought about Christmas, Eid or Diwali lights.

Many places have such celebratory light installations.

Artists using light and dark as a medium in their work include Ksawery Kirkiewski works with moving light and images to create interactive works like Flux, 2022.

Jenny Holzer combines lighting and text in her Truism series, created originally between 1977 and 79.

Said Dokins captures the movement of light to create calligraphy in his Heliographies of Memory, 2024, and Haroon Mirza manipulates lights, colour and sound in his A Chamber for Horwitz, Sonakinatography Transcriptions in Surround Sound, 2015.

And now it's time for your first task.

I'd like you to select two or three artists or specific artworks and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are the artworks visually similar or different? For example, theme, technique, symbols, colour, tone, shape, style, composition and materials.

Are there any connections between them? Pause here while you have a go at this task.

Great feedback with you, how did you get on? You may have said something like this.

"Said Dokins uses light in a really modern way.

He draws calligraphy in the air with light so it feels fast and energetic.

But Joseph Wright of Derby uses light and dark to make his paintings look dramatic and focused." "Said Dokins uses modern technology like cameras and light tools to create his calligraphy, which feels really futuristic.

And Joseph Wright of Derby shows early scientific experiments and discovering new technology then." Some great answers from Alex and Aisha, and thanks for sharing yours.

And here's another outcome for the task.

You may have said something like this, Said Dokins to uses text to remember the past and connect to places no imagery selected use calligraphy, photography, light painting, and performance.

And Joseph Wright of Derby was all about science, learning and change.

Highly realistic imagery of groups of people and used oil paint.

And what they have in common is strong contrast between light and dark, creating a focal point and drama.

And then we're onto the next part of our lesson, visual deconstruction, light and dark.

What is the first thing you notice about this artwork? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you notice the colours, the contrast, patterns.

Artists use various techniques to communicate in their work, the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture, composition, space and perspective, materials and techniques, imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? Artists only use colour and subject matter to communicate meaning in their work.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Perhaps you said something like this.

While colour and subject are important, artists also use many other techniques like line, shape, texture, composition, and materials to share ideas.

By breaking down these elements we can understand the artwork's meaning more clearly and deeply.

So how are the elements of art used in this work? Well, we can see there's contrast between light and dark and it almost halves the work.

The colours in the work are warm.

Patterns can be found in a circle motif.

The shapes and forms are natural with ambiguous silhouettes as the focal point.

Flowing lines and detail add interest in the foreground and the paint has created organic textures.

When light changes to dark in an artwork, it can create either a hard or a soft edge.

How do you think this affects the mood or focus of the artwork? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Hard and soft edges help show focus and depth in art.

So here we can see some hard edges.

They're sharp and clear.

And here we can see some soft edges where it's blurry or gently blended.

Check for understanding, which is the most accurate to explain the difference between a hard edge and a soft edge? Is it A, hard and soft edges are the same, but use different materials.

B, hard edges are made with warm colours and soft edges cool.

C, hard edges are sharp while soft edges are blended.

Or D, hard edges are used in backgrounds, soft edges in the front only.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C, indeed, hard edges are sharp while soft edges are blended.

Where have hard edges and soft edges been used in this work? Pause here and share with someone.

Hi Andeep, "Hard edges are mostly used in the centre around a tiger's face with soft edges more in the background." And let's think about what the effect is of this use of hard and soft edges.

Well Andeep thinks that this creates an instant focus on the tiger's face with sharp, clear details.

But then the soft edges into a dark background create a sense of mystery and danger in the work.

What is the effect of the use of hard and soft edges in this work? Pause here and share with someone.

Here's Aisha.

"A hard edge around the figures contrast with the background.

It makes the group's identity hidden so they seem mysterious." And now it's time for your next task.

I'd like you to select one artwork and describe it.

Describe what you can see in the artwork, the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture, composition, space and perspective, materials and techniques, imagery and subject, and how the artist has used these techniques to communicate with the audience.

You might record this as an idea shower around an image of an artwork, write it as a paragraph, create an audio or film recording.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

Okay, good to be back with you.

So how did you get on? You may have said something like this.

The imagery is slightly abstracted, but faces can still be seen.

The textures of the paint create detail and focus.

The dark tone seems to create a border, drawing our focus into two central zones.

Lighter areas in the top and middle of the image are still muted.

White and a pale tone.

The face has hard edges and a background uses soft edges and is a limited colour palette.

So you may have said something like this when describing this artwork, the textures of different media contrast, the composition is drawing our attention into the centre using line and tone.

Hard edges in the building draw attention.

Soft edges are used in the background.

Vibrant and unexpected colours have been used sparingly.

Light tones create highlight and standout.

Dark tones are very dark.

Mark making is smooth and graphic in the building.

Well done for having a go at this task.

And now we're onto our final learning cycle.

Personal connection in art, light and dark.

How can looking at an artist's work help us develop our own work? Pause here and share with someone.

Let's hear from Izzy.

"Art with similar themes can develop my ideas more than similar techniques or imagery." Jacob, "I'll look at techniques and compositions and try to apply them to my theme." And Sofia, "Work that has similar imagery can inspire even if the idea is different." Check for understanding, fill in the gap.

We can look at other artists' work to gain inspiration through techniques and themes, helping to develop and enrich their own creative ideas.

Pause here while you fill in the gap.

Well done if you filled in the gap with the word imagery.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection with an artwork, such as use of techniques or expression of themes.

We can establish a personal connection to an artwork by interpreting how objects in a composition can signify deeper meanings or a theme.

We can often find links to our own work through deconstructing both the themes and techniques used in an artwork.

How do you think light and dark is used in this work to communicate a deeper meaning? And do you think everyone would come up with the same meanings? Pause here while you discuss your answers to these two questions.

Here's Lucas, this work inspires my theme of groups and gatherings visually but I want use silhouettes in my work.

Sam, my theme is religions and faiths.

I'll use the idea of splitting the composition between light and dark to represent harmony.

And Izzy, I wanted to look at identity and family and will use high contrast imagery from my family's clothes inside of my profile.

Can you think of other theme interpretations? Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing.

Check for understanding, true or false? We all interpret and understand artwork in the same way, so how art inspired us is uniform.

Pause here while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Everyone brings their own experiences, feelings and ideas when looking at art so we all interpret it differently.

That's what makes art powerful, it can mean something unique to each person.

And now it's time for your final task.

Select one artwork and use the questions below to consider your personal connection.

What theme, symbols or ideas does this art explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections between them that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes or creative decisions in this artwork inspire you? And how might you use them in your own work? You might record this as an idea shower around an image of an artwork, write it as a paragraph or create an audio or film recording.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

Great to be back with you.

Let's take a look at this example.

So we have theme fragments.

The central image in this work appears to be of a bust sculpture.

The use of dark tone to frame the work also seems to visually separate the composition into sections.

This creates the idea of the sculpture fragmenting or breaking.

For my work I'll first photograph my broken toys using a dark space and strong directional light to highlight the cracked edges.

I'll then experiment with painting the work using very dark tones to frame and emphasise the broken sections.

And another example, theme, my surroundings.

This work uses a focused image of a building which fills the whole frame.

The high contrast, light and dark and hard edges draw our attention into the centre as if we are going inside the building.

I'm not sure that it is inviting as the entrance is so dark.

I'll use imagery of grand doorways near my home.

I want to create an unsettling feeling so I'll also use dark tone in the entrance with contrasting light around the outsides of the doorways.

In our lesson, light and dark in fine art, we've covered the following.

Artists can use light and dark to create mood, atmosphere and contrast in artworks.

We can find symbolic meanings of light and darkness across different cultures and art movements.

Artists can experiment with using light and shadow to define form, space and focus in their own artwork with things like silhouettes, Chiaroscuro and light installations.

When light changes to dark in an artwork, it can create either a hard or soft edge, which can alter the way light and dark affect the mood of the work.

Well done everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It was great to explore light and dark in fine art with you.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.

I really did, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.