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Creating atmosphere

Tone can be used to create atmosphere in art and design work. Different atmospheres will be created depending on the value and contrast of the tones used.

Value

Value refers to how light or dark a tone is.

Depiction of Westminster in the evening, using very dark tones
Image caption,
Westminster, Evening, 1909, Joseph Pennell

Dark tones are said to have low value.

Westminster, Evening (Joseph Pennell, 1909) is dominated by use of low value tones that create the appearance of a dark night. The viewer has to work to make out the shapes of buildings and clouds. Small spots of much brighter tones effectively suggest lights and their reflections in the water.

Depiction of Westminster in the evening, using very dark tones
Image caption,
Westminster, Evening, 1909, Joseph Pennell
Painting, featuring light tones, depicting a woman with a newspaper on her lap
Image caption,
Woman Reading Newspaper, c.1905-1906, Kazimir Malevich

Light tones are said to have high value.

In Woman reading newspaper (c.1905-1906), Kazimir Malevich uses high value tones to suggest bright sunlight. These light tones are used throughout the composition, creating a calm, tranquil atmosphere.

Painting, featuring light tones, depicting a woman with a newspaper on her lap
Image caption,
Woman Reading Newspaper, c.1905-1906, Kazimir Malevich

Contrast

Contrast refers to the difference between tones.

Painting of haystacks, using low contrast colour tones
Image caption,
Haystacks (Effect of Snow and Sun), 1891, Claude Monet

A small amount of contrast, or low contrast, between the lightest and darkest tones will tend to result in a more subtle or calm image.

In Haystacks (Effect of Snow and Sun) (1891), Claude Monet uses a limited colour with high and mid-value tones. These suggest gentle winter light on a hazy, misty day.

Painting of haystacks, using low contrast colour tones
Image caption,
Haystacks (Effect of Snow and Sun), 1891, Claude Monet
Painting of haystacks, using high contrast colour tones
Image caption,
Haystack (Morning Snow Effect), 1891, Claude Monet

The greater, or higher, the contrast of tones, the more dramatic the atmosphere.

Maystack, Morning Snow Effect (Claude Monet, 1891) has a much wider range of tones. High values suggest bright, direct light hitting the snowy field and the left side of the haystack. Contrast is created by much lower value tones that show deep shadow.

Painting of haystacks, using high contrast colour tones
Image caption,
Haystack (Morning Snow Effect), 1891, Claude Monet

Chiaroscuro

Painting of man looking at his reflection in water, demonstrating chiaroscuro
Image caption,
Narcissus, c.1597-1599, Michelangelo Caravaggio

The term chiaroscuro is used to describe images with very high contrast. Chiaroscuro comes from two Italian words 鈥 'chiaro' meaning light and 'scuro' meaning dark.

Narcissus (c.1597-99) is typical of Michelangelo Caravaggio's use of chiaroscuro. A black background and very dark shadows in the water and the folds of the figure's clothes make his white sleeves and the pale skin of his face, arms and knee stand out dramatically.

Painting of man looking at his reflection in water, demonstrating chiaroscuro
Image caption,
Narcissus, c.1597-1599, Michelangelo Caravaggio