or CLAIR-OBSCURE, in painting, the art of distributing to advantage the lights and shadows of a piece, both with respect to the relief of the eye and the effect of the whole piece. See PAINTING.

Chiaro-Scura, is also used to signify a design consisting of only two colours, most usually black and white, but sometimes black and yellow; or it is a design washed only with one colour, the shadows being of a dusky brown, and the lights heightened up by white. The word is also applied to prints of two colours taken off at twice.