Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro in art is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark. 
This is usually done to make the composition a lot more dramatic. It is also a technical term used by art historians and artists for the contrast of light. It gives a sense of volume when modelling three-dimensional (or 3D) figures. Similar effects used in photography and cinematography are also called chiaroscuro.
The word comes from Italian, from the words "chiaro" (clear) + "oscuro" (dark). The word was first known to be used in the 1680s.