Light relative to space and chiaroscuro

Whas hannin. My name is Avi Lieberman.

Last quarter, I had the responsibility of researching and presenting on the Bauhaus in another class. I wasn't aware however, that what I would learn would ultimately have a profound effect on not only the way I see art, but the way that I see life. And now, recontextualizing these lessons into the impossibly massive world of "light..." 

The concept of chiaroscuro is essentially three-dimensional structure through contrast as seen in the painting above. Ultimately what makes this image 3D is the light source, dark against light. This effect is then further emphasized with the contrast of colors. One could very well throw a black and white filter over this image and it's three-dimensional qualities would undoubtedly remain. It's a simple concept - contrast - but one that, I believe, requires an indeterminate amount of time and effort to master. 

Important to note, is the fact that this image is being viewed in an incredibly specific space. This image only exists before you here. Or rather, the image exists within an explicitly defined place: itself. The image has borders, it takes up only as much space as it's been given. And although this is a blatantly obvious, perhaps even infuriatingly simple statement, the importance is in the connotation. Contrast can only exist within a given space, whether it's a defined set of dimensions or the entirety of your vision's depth and width (the latter may be a stretch although perhaps technically correct - vision as undetermined dimension). Without space, contrast is without context. And recognizing this, that light, that color, that the amalgam intended for an artistic purpose must exist within a space that is to be viewed, has completely changed the way I view art; whether it's acting, painting, photography, or even music. "What can you do within the space you are given?"