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chiaroscuro over sanibel causeway --sb 4.10 |
chiaroscuro (kē-är'ə-skʊr'ō)
n., pl., -ros. In all senses also called claire-obscure. - The technique of using light and shade in pictorial representation.
- The arrangement of light and dark elements in a pictorial work of art to give an illusion of depth.
[Italian : chiaro, bright, light (from Latin clārus, clear) + oscuro, dark (from Latin obscūrus).]
I captured this photo on the Sanibel Causeway this past spring when a skyful of black storm clouds came rushing in. Did I evacuate like most people did? No. That would soooo not be my personality, not when there is a camera in my hand! But I did capture one of my favorite photos, which I call Chiaroscuro Over Sanibel Causeway.
I really fell in love with the word chiaroscuro when reading The Tale of Despereaux with my 4th graders back in 2008. First, it's fun to say (give it a try, with a really bad Italian accent). Second, it is the symbolism behind the name of one of the characters in the novel: Roscuro.
Roscuro is a rat living in the depths of a dark dungeon. Unlike other rats, Roscuro is fascinated by light and the hope that it brings to his dark prison and world. In pursuit of that light, he leaves the dungeon and finds it. However, along the way, he gets distracted by crisis and circumstances and becomes a bitter rat, consumed with revenge, despair and darkness. Sounds like many Christians I know.
While chiaroscuro is an art technique used to create the illusion of depth, the chiaroscuro in my life and yours (which God allows to create depth and beauty in our character and our lives) is no illusion.
Some saw dark clouds hovering over the Sanibel Causeway that afternoon and fled. Me? I saw the Light behind the clouds and chose to stay. I want my life to continue to reflect that causeway parable! I know this to be true in my life --the One who wraps Himself in light as with a garment (psalms 104.2) always pushes back darkness.
Through the viewfinder of my lens, Light is always the backdrop to darkness. Will you resist fleeing from your dark circumstances long enough to witness it?
