Chiaroscuro: Light and Shadow in Architecture

Chiaroscuro is the Italian word for the design of light and shadow across the surface of a work of art. Chiaro means light, while scuro means dark. In painting this is straightforward design, but in architecture light and shadow are created by the massing of objects in sunlight. This requires an understanding of art, design, sunlight, optics, perspective, and the interplay of climate conditions during the day and over the course of a year.