What is contrast and silhouette?

Light and Dark

Artists perform a kind of magic using light and dark. They use them to grab your attention.

Suppose an artist wants you to notice a certain part of a painting. A good way to do this is to make that part a light colour and surround it with a dark colour. The result is called contrast.

In this picture, the painter used contrast to draw your eyes to the centre. He painted a white shawl on a man dressed mostly in black. Since white reflects a lot of light, the white shawl stands out well.

Suppose an artist wants you to notice a subject’s shape instead of his or her face and clothes. The artist might paint the person in front of a light. The result would be a dark shape against a light background. This kind of picture is called a silhouette.

In the picture, the painter placed the girl in front of the light. Her silhouette stands out against the sky. The artist used light and dark to give you a surprising view of an ordinary scene.

Picture Credit : Google