History Main / Chiaroscuro

A SubTrope of LightDarknessJuxtaposition, and a SuperTrope to DramaticSpotlight, EmergingFromTheShadows.

->''"Some of the lighting to me was almost like a painting from the past, like from the seventeenth century, a Creator/{{Rembrandt|VanRijn}} look about it, the darkness of the house and the sunlight searing through the boarded-up windows."''

A visual trope, using a stark contrast between dark and light in an image, usually for dramatic effect. Generally uses directional lighting and sharp shadows. Developed in the Renaissance for painting and became very popular among Baroque painters, all the way to the school known as "tenebrism". And never quite vanished since.

* Several of Joseph Wright's "industrial revolution" paintings use tenebrism, with a singular light source that isn't in the most convenient place for illuminating most of the picture. For ''A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrory", it's the lamp representing the sun, which brightly illuminates the two kids leaning in on the far side, but turns the one between us and the orrory into a sillouette, and casts the adults, who are further back, into sharp relief.

* Used frequently in ''Manga/SoulEater'', particularly in scenes in Soul's head, or at the home of Crona and Medusa.
%%(ZCE)* ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' loves shading, and shading loves ''The Garden Of Sinners''. The seventh movie has particularly good examples.
* Action Horror anime director Yoshiaki Kawajiri is ''very'' fond of this trope, "lighting" his scenes in eerie dark blue with '''only''' blood and emotionally significant objects appearing in color. This is demonstrated in his neo-noir classics ''Literature/DemonCityShinjuku'', ''Anime/NinjaScroll'', and ''Anime/WickedCity''.

%%* ''Manga/TheDemonOroron'' makes full use of this trope.
%%* Used extensively by science-fiction mangaka ''Creator/TsutomuNihei'', especially in the cult favourite ''Manga/{{Blame}}''.
* An episode of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' uses this as a homage to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''.
* In ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'', the artist employs this technique whenever she wants to emphasize [[ManipulativeBastard Kyoko's]] malicious personality traits by having her enveloped in shadows in front of bright background.
* Tite Kubo uses this technique occasionally in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. Fans have joked that whenever he accidentally spills ink all over the page, he just makes it into a new special attack.
* In ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal's'' Act 1 ColdOpen when Usagi is DreamingOfTimesGoneBy, the dream prince and princess move to embrace and kiss, and their bodies and background are bright, but their facial features are so shadowed as to be just barely visible.
* ''Manga/DrStone'' features a dramatic use when Senku successfully creates the first electric lightbulb that the stone age society has ever seen.

* Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio popularized this trend during the Baroque -- it's called tenebrism. His and his unofficial disciples' paintings are characterized by their use of brightly illuminated skin and foreground objects which were contrasted against pooling shadows and a much darker background.

* Creator/{{Rembrandt|VanRijn}} made frequent use of scenes where people are shown in contrast between dark and light. Sometimes it only appeared to be this way. ''Art/TheNightWatch'' was nicknamed that way because of its dark varnish, which made people think it depicted a night scene. This varnish was removed only in the 1940s.

%%(ZCE)* The art style known as tenebrism (from the Italian word for "dark" and/or "murky") has this effect as its main selling point.
* ''Art/TheSin'': The intense juxtaposition of Eve's white skin and the black of the snakes and the shadows are meant to emphasize Eve's attractive form as the snake hides in the darkness, ready to strike.

* ''Art/LasMeninas'': There's a contrast between the well-lit foreground and the dark back. At the very end, José Nieto, the chamberlain, seemingly lets in more light.
* Creator/EdwardHopper frequently used light/dark contrast in his work to emphasize melancholy and isolation. In Nighthawks, for example, the fluorescent light of the diner contrasts with the shadows outside.

* The climactic fight scene between ComicBook/TheSpirit and the Octopus took place in a darkened room where the only light was a falling match.
* From ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', the night that the rat creatures attack Thorn's farm.
* The cover of ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' #500, set during the rather dark ''Unthinkable'' storyline, appropriately featured the Four standing in darkness, lit only by Johnny's flames.
* ''ComicBook/SinCity''. Creator/FrankMiller loves to utilize this in his artwork anyway but it seems to be more obvious in this black and white comic series.
* ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'' had a significant amount of this, with a signature design having a character shown entirely in black with only their eyes and teeth in white.
* ''ComicBook/DCPride2022'': As part of "The Gumshoe in Green"'s Noir aesthetic the shadows are deep and define the shape of things up until the last few pages where the villains' home is washed out in an eerie amount of light.

* ''Film/TheFountain'' is possibly the most chiaroscuro film ever made, in terms of brute force of imagery. All the swirly gold things and pitch black backgrounds were achieved with microphotography. Even the ''hospital'' is lit this way, with lots of dimly lit Moroccan screens, making it the most AwesomeButImpractical hospital one is likely to visit. And also [[WhoForgotTheLights very hard to see]].
* ''Film/BladeRunner'', in the tradition of FilmNoir, helped pave the way for many of the more GrimDark sci-fi films that followed it. Everything in [[CrapsackWorld future LA]] seems to be powered by / lit by natural gas flares and strobe lights.
* ''Film/BladeRunner2049'' continues the tradition from its predecessor. The scenes involving Wallace have an especially stark contrast between heavy shadows and subdued golden light, with the reflecting pools in his office casting eerily beautiful rippling patterns on the walls.

* 2022's ''Film/TheNorthman'' utilizes black and white for night scenes, creating an aesthetic that reinforces the feel of lack of daylight.
* ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'' uses most of its [[NameDrop Chiaroscuro]] ideas with the scenes containing the movie's villain, Gorr the God Butcher. The middle sequence is drenched in black and white of the Shadow Realm, with [[DeliberatelyMonochrome no color at all]].
* Frequently used by Creator/StanleyKubrick.
** In ''Film/BarryLyndon'', special lenses facilitated candlelight filming. The use of light in that film becomes very notable to anyone with knowledge in lighting or photography. Most films use a ton of artificial light in scenes that are only supposed to be lit with a few candles, thanks to the technological limitations on cameras. However, ''Barry Lyndon'' didn't use ''any'' artificial light, with the entire scenes sometimes being lit by a few candles. In order to achieve this, Kubrick had to use cameras intended for ''NASA during the Apollo moon landings.'' This was in concert with unique candles he had commissioned specially, that were designed to burn with a flame three times as bright for a trade-off in usage time. They were "useless for anything other than filming".
** Kubrick's second film, ''Film/KillersKiss'', was shot almost entirely in this way, in black and white, with dramatic contrast between light and darkness and lots of shadowy scenes with bright lights cutting through them.

* The cellar scene from ''Film/{{Signs}}''. The lightbulb gets broken, so there's several tense seconds of pitch blackness, then they turn on two flashlights, which provide the only light for the remainder of the scene.
* From ''Franchise/StarWars Episode II: Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Anakin's duel with Dooku. Their lightsabers provide the only illumination.
* The film, ''Film/TheMadMissManton'' is a mystery/comedy film from 1938 that has a lot of characteristics of early noir lighting.
* During the roof scenes (and nighttime ones) of ''Film/HandsAcrossTheTable'', the lighting is very like what would later be used for FilmNoir, so much so that taking these shots isolated from the entire movie, they look like they could’ve come straight out of a noir. However, for the tone of the film, it creates more of a romantic mood.
%%* The entire second half of ''Film/PitchBlack''.
* ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is an excellent example of this trope's use in horror. The multiple shadows provide so many places for the killer to hide in, the viewer can't tell where he'll jump out from. Particularly notable is the white mask which seems to 'materialize' out of the shadows, which according to Creator/JohnCarpenter isn't meant to show Michael Myers moving into frame but rather the characters' (and the viewers') eyesight adjusting to the dark to discover he's been right there ''all along''.

* ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' plays with this liberally, mostly in the introduction of Lecter, but rather frighteningly in the climax, where [[spoiler:Starling is illuminated through night-vision goggles, shown desperately lost in the darkness.]]

%%* ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' used this in the scene on Haven when Shepard Book is advising Mal.
%%* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' and its sequels
%%* On this aspect, ''Film/TheElementOfCrime'' is essentially ''Film/BladeRunner''.
%%* ''Film/LastOfTheMohicans'', particularly the Fort scenes.

* Due to the low-powered light sources and the pitch-blackness of the coffin, most, if not all of ''Film/{{Buried}}'' is shot like this.

* The ''Film/HarryPotter'' film series got this way progressively as the series continued, to the point that parts of ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows part 2'' were near impossible to watch at home with daylight streaming through your windows.
* In ''Film/{{Casino}}'', Creator/MartinScorsese uses a brief shot of chiaroscuro to introduce [[TheDon the Dons]] of the Midwest.
* The finale of Film/{{Skyfall}} is this, with [[spoiler:the burning ruins of Skyfall manor]] being the only light source.
* Murder mystery ''Film/{{Crossfire}}'' is lit this way throughout, starting with the opening scene, when a brawl that ends in a murder is staged in a dark room lit only by a single lamp.
* ''Film/{{Brute Force|1947}}'' is a FilmNoir, so it's almost mandatory.

* ''Film/ForcedVengeance'' has a different take on this trope when Creator/ChuckNorris is shown fighting in silhouette before a giant neon billboard.
* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', the entire first scene is shot with stark contrast of dark and light, especially the frames with Loki holding the Tesseract.

* ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'': It's the name of the world, as chosen by Mizzamir. It makes sense with the book's moral message [[spoiler: GrayAndGrayMorality, both good and evil are necessary for existence.]]

* Literature/HeartOfDarkness by Joseph Conrad. Darkness and light are the two most striking visual motifs in the novel.
* Creator/GustaveFlaubert's ''Literature/MadameBovary'' frequently uses light to contrast Emma's ideals and darkness/shadows to emphasize her actual living conditions.
* The [[Literature/RevengeOfTheSith novelization]] of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' has a chapter called Chiaroscuro, and light and shadow come into the description a lot during it.
* Canadian publisher CZP has an online magazine called Chiaroscuro, and deals with dark, weird fiction. Most of their books embody this trope, thematically, in some way.

!!!'''Creators:'''

!!!'''Series:'''

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': In general, the series makes heavy use of this. Pure white backgrounds with characters with dark auras (Terra especially), or pure black backgrounds with intense colors (the Dive Into The Heart screen where Sora chooses his keyblade) are incredibly common throughout the game. A very notable use is in the Port Royal world, with the live-action characters cast in realistic, murky, brown-and-black night tones while Sora, Donald, and Goofy remain lit so brightly and colorfully that it's like they're in the middle of the afternoon. The end result is a very stark contrast between the grimmer characters from one world and the much, much perkier heroes from others.
* In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' shadows are ''pitch black,'' even in the light of day.
* One of the selling points of ''VideoGame/Doom3'' was the id Tech 4 engine's ability to draw deep sharp shadows, which the game showcases constantly in its environments and the light of fireballs of demons and muzzle flashes of zombified UAC guards. A common complaint from fans is that they went for [[WhoForgotTheLights more "scuro" than "chiaro" to the point where it's hard to see]] and the [[ScrappyWeapon flashlight]] isn't much help; the [[UpdatedReRelease BFG Edition]] addresses the issue by making the flashlight a non-weapon function.

* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' is a particularly colorful variant of this, owing to all the neon lights. Rapture seems to have been designed to mimic nighttime lighting conditions at all hours, and that was when all the lights still worked. By the time you arrive, many areas are just barely light enough to navigate without a flashlight (which you don't have), dotted with small pools of bright light. One of the first enemies you encounter is visible only as a silhouette, and it won't be the last time.
* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}'' make use of this, which is natural considering the art style is based on Japanese ink paintings. Shadows are pitch black, completely opaque, and flow like ink.

* ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' is built around this. Since the mysterious "Dark Presence" [[LivingShadow thrives in darkness and shadows]], the majority of the game is spend fleeing between the sparse lighting, and even battle sequences require weakening monsters with flashlights.

* As much of it takes place underground, ''{{VideoGame/Metro 2033}}'' is prime for this. Most of the levels are dimly lit, and light is usually a sign of habitation... or danger. Especially bad in places where the mushrooms are the only source of light (aside from your headlamp), but they [[SicklyGreenGlow glow radioactive green]], and indicate that you're going to suddenly die of radiation poisoning if you don't haul ass away from there.
* ''Zelda'' started using this for nighttime and cave areas in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', and then expanded upon it for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', the latter of which uses shadow as a recurring motif. Your only decent light sources are the occasional torches and lanterns held by either the Moblins or Link; rushing through cave areas without carefully inspecting the lit-up path can lead to a tumble down a pit. Before that, much of the artwork for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' was drawn in this style, though it's not done like this in the game itself.
* Many a StealthBasedGame uses this when shadows are used as a hiding tool by the protagonist, notably ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'' and ''VideoGame/SplinterCell''.
* ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'' lives up to its name, being set in a medieval castle lit only by candles, torches, your lantern, and the occasional mysterious shaft of light from above. The level "Storage" is actually called out by the protagonist as being ''unnaturally'' dark, with light sources only reaching a few feet before being swallowed up by the black shadows. A true case of tenebrism in a video game if ever there was one.
%%(ZCE)* Available as a photo mode color filter in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''.
* The ''primary game mechanic'' of ''VideoGame/{{Closure}}''. Everything is in black, white, and varying shades of grey. The ''only'' things visible are things illuminated by light sources. Everything else is completely black...and intangible. The world is literally what you can see.
* ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': The plot-important rooms like Save Rooms, Map Rooms, and Network Stations that haven't used yet are unlit except for a few lights like those on Samus's suit and the doors, providing a strong contrast between light and dark.

* After night falls in ''VideoGame/OtterIsland'' it's almost pitch black outside and you need a flashlight (either a handheld one or the one on your phone) to navigate properly in unlit areas.

* ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' has this during the song, My Eyes. While watching from the street, Doctor Horrible sings about how soon "only darkness will remain." While he's doing this, a street light casts light on one side of his face, while the other is completely shadowed. When he mentions that "darkness is on the rise" he steps back, and out of the light, so that the only light striking him is a few feeble glimmers from a hobo fire.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' features a scene between Stoic and Hiccup starkly lit by a single candle.

* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', for the most part, the lighting stays between chiaroscuro and HollywoodDarkness thanks to the "horror movie fog" effect, but the game uses sharp contrast to provide atmosphere, light, and to tell players where to go to proceed.[[note]]Humans have a natural inclination to go towards the light because they can actually see what's there.[[/note]] According to [[WordOfGod the developer blog and commentaries]], the maps early in development were changed to promote, rather than fight against, the instinct of heading towards well-lit places; for example, one of the maps that takes place in a city was originally designed to have most of the windows in buildings lit and bright, giving the impression that TheVirus wiped everything out quickly. Changing the buildings to be inconsistently lit made people move faster and more efficiently to the goal, which remained illuminated. [[GameMod custom campaigns]] that don't follow this line of thought and forgo lighting as a means of guidance are considered notoriously hard to navigate through.

* Chiaroscuro, more specifically tenebrism, features heavily in ''VideoGame/SongOfHorror''. Most of the game is well-lit enough to navigate easily, but the levels [[AlwaysNight always take place at night]] and lights are framed by deep, sharp shadows. Even in the still-image cutscenes the shadows are prevalent, moreso due to the DeliberatelyMonochrome aesthetic in them.

%%(ZCE)* ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' loves shading, and shading loves ''The Garden Of Sinners''. The seventh movie has particularly good examples.

* Music/TalkingHeads used this extensively in their live shows, particularly the ''Music/SpeakingInTongues'' tour. As documented in ''Film/StopMakingSense'', the tour was strongly influenced by Noh theater, and this carries over to the lighting, which is fairly minimal for most of the film's runtime. The only light comes from dim rear projections and spotlight shone on the musicians by stagehands, accentuating the contrast between the light gray outfits and the black stage.

* Music/TalkingHeads used this extensively in their live shows, particularly the ''Music/SpeakingInTongues'' tour (as documented in ''Film/StopMakingSense''). As seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXJgt8rLMC4 here]] (note 4:50, when Music/DavidByrne goes ''ballistic'').

* The intense juxtaposition of Eve's white skin and the black of the snakes and the shadows in ''Art/TheSin'' are mean to emphasize Eve's attractive form as the snake hides in the darkness, ready to strike.

* Creator/NormanRockwell's ''Art/TheProblemWeAllLiveWith'' contrasts Ruby Bridges' dark skin with her stark white dress, drawing the eye to her.

* One of the selling points of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3'' was its ability to draw deep sharp shadows, which the game showcases constantly in its environments and the light of fireballs of demons and muzzle flashes of zombified UAC guards. A common complaint from fans is that they went for [[WhoForgotTheLights more "scuro" than "chiaro" to the point where it's hard to see]] and the [[ScrappyWeapon flashlight]] isn't much help; the [[UpdatedReRelease BFG Edition]] addresses the issue by making the flashlight a non-weapon function.

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' uses this to provide atmosphere, light, and to tell players where to go, as humans tend to go towards the light because they can actually see what's there. According to the developer blog and commentaries, the maps in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' were changed to promote, rather than fight against, this natural inclination of ours ([[GameMod custom campaigns]] that [[WhoForgotTheLights don't follow this line of thought]] are considered notoriously hard to navigate through). For example, one of the maps that takes place in a city was originally designed to have most of the windows in buildings lit and bright, giving the impression that TheVirus wiped everything out quickly. Changing the buildings to be without power made people move faster and more efficiently to the goal, which remained well-lit. However, for the most part, the lighting stays between this and HollywoodDarkness thanks to the "horror movie fog" effect.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' uses this throughout the Port Royal world, with the live-action characters cast in realistic, murky, brown-and-black night tones while Sora, Donald, and Goofy remain lit so brightly and colorfully that it's like they're in the middle of the afternoon. The end result is a very stark contrast between the grimmer characters from one world and the much, much perkier heroes from others. In general, the series has pretty heavy use of this. Pure white backgrounds with characters with dark auras (Terra especially), or pure black backgrounds with intense colors (the Dive Into The Heart screen where Sora chooses his keyblade) are incredibly common throughout the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3''. You use a handheld flashlight, but not along with your firearm[[labelnote:*]][[MemeticMutation there's no duct tape on Mars]][[/labelnote]]. The very first GameMod for the title, aptly named "{{Duct Tape|ForEverything}}", gives a gunlight to a few of the marine's guns; others that come later expand on the concept. The ''[[UpdatedRerelease BFG Edition]]'' does away with the headache by mounting the lamp on your armor. [[TenSecondFlashlight It only lasts for 30 seconds or so before needing a recharge]], but that's far less annoying than [[ScrappyMechanic having to swap weapons while under attack]] when [[PersonalSpaceInvader a monster inevitably pops up right in your face]].

* ''Art/AllegoryOfTheSeasonsManfredi'': While not as strong as other Caravagesque paintings, intense light and shadow are present. The former can be appreciated in the subjects' skin while the latter dominates in the background and some of the clothes.

->''"Some of the lighting to me was almost like a painting from the past, like from the seventeenth century, a Rembrandt look about it, the darkness of the house and the sunlight searing through the boarded-up windows."''

* Rembrandt made frequent use of scenes where people are shown in contrast between dark and light. Sometimes it only appeared to be this way. ''Art/TheNightWatch'' was nicknamed that way because of its dark varnish, which made people think it depicted a night scene. This varnish was removed only in the 1940s.

* Chiaroscuro, more specifically tenebrism, features heavily in ''VideoGame/SongOfHorror''. Most of the game is well-lit enough to navigate easily, but the levels [[AlwaysNight always take place at night]] and lights are framed by deep, sharp shadows. Even in the still-image cutscens the shadows are prevalent, moreso due to the DeliberatelyMonochrome aesthetic in them.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

%%* Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio liked to use this.

* The entire second half of ''Film/PitchBlack''.

* Hiromu Arakawa uses this often in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''.
* Seen often in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', notably in the EyeCatch graphics.
* ''Manga/TheDemonOroron'' makes full use of this trope.
* Used extensively by science-fiction mangaka ''Creator/TsutomuNihei'', especially in the cult favourite ''Manga/{{Blame}}''.

* 2022's ''Film/TheNorthman'' plays this to perfection, utilizing black and white for night scenes, creating a stunningly endearing aesthetic that really makes you feel the lack of daylight.
* Another great 2022 example is ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'', which uses most of its [[NameDrop Chiaroscuro]] ideas with the scenes containing the movies villain, Gorr the God Butcher. The middle sequence is real highlight, drenched in black and white of the Shadow Realm, with no color at all.

** In ''Film/BarryLyndon'', special lenses facilitated candlelight filming. The use of light in that film becomes very notable to anyone with knowledge in lighting or photography. Most films use a ton of artificial light in scenes that are only supposed to be lit with a few candles, thanks to the technological limitations on cameras. However, ''Barry Lyndon'' didn't use ''any'' artificial light, with the entire scenes sometimes being lit by a few candles. In order to achieve this, Kubrick had to use cameras intended for ''NASA during the Apollo moon landings.''
*** This was in concert with unique candles he had commissioned specially, that were designed to burn with a flame three times as bright for a trade-off in usage time. They were "useless for anything other than filming".

* ''Film/DarkCity'' uses chiaroscuro lighting in spots to achieve a DieselPunk[=/=]FilmNoir effect.

* Chiaroscuro features heavily in ''VideoGame/SongOfHorror''. Most of the game is well-lit enough to navigate easily, but the levels [[AlwaysNight always take place at night]] and lights are framed by deep, sharp shadows.

* Used extensively in ''Webcomic/{{Miamaska}}'''s darkly lit scenes. Seen [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=19 here]], [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=36 here]], [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=39 here]], aaaaannnd [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=48 here]].

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', especially in the first two seasons, often had [[FaceFramedInShadow faces framed in shadow]]… even outside in the middle of the day.

* Available as a photo mode color filter in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''.

* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/0p10 here]].

* In ''Webcomic/BlueYonder'' [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1173198/blue-yonder-chapter-1-page-8/ inside Claremont Apartments.]] [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1510611/blue-yonder-chapter-2-page-7/ And again inside the N-Forcers' HQ.]]
* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/030328c Such as here]] and [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/040126c]].
* In ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'':
** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-363/ The night time castle, viewed from the outside]].
** [[http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-484/ And again, when the princess tricks Tomato into going out at night.]]
* ''Webcomic/TheDreamlandChronicles'':
** [[http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/chapter-05/page-275/ In the prison]].
** [[http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/todays-dreamland-chronicles-670/ Or after the wreck]].

* ''Webcomic/FeyWinds'': [[http://www.feywinds.com/comic/page.php?id=179 The attack]].
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Heavily used in Castle Heterodyne. [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080723 Here]], [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080808 here]], [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080402 here]], and [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080815 here]], for instance.
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': When Annie and Kat [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/view.php?date=2001-03-13 enter the room under Anja's old lab.]]

* ''Webcomic/OrderOfTales'': Koark and the Bottle Woman in the tunnel.
* ''Webcomic/{{Pibgorn}}'':
** [[http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2004/06/12/ After a death]].
** [[http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2006/08/21/ And here]].

* ''Webcomic/RedsPlanet'':
** [[http://www.redsplanet.com/comic/rp/ch03/chapter-three-30-31/ The scenes around campfires.]]
** [[http://www.redsplanet.com/comic/rp/ch03/chapter-three-03/ This guides Red to where she can escape the crashed spaceship.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Strays}}'', [[http://www.straysonline.com/2012/09/page-237/ during Meela's transformation during the night, and again about the fire while she howls.]]
* In ''Webcomic/TalesOfTheQuestor'', [[http://www.rhjunior.com/totq/00785.html the late night pursuit into the Tumbledowns is done in this.]]
* ''Webcomic/ThistilMistilKistil'':
** [[http://tmkcomic.depleti.com/comic/ch01-pg24/ As Odin sends him off]].
** [[http://tmkcomic.depleti.com/comic/ch05-pg14/ As they ready the funeral]].
* In ''Webcomic/WakeTheSleepers'', [[http://wakethesleepers.com/comics/first/ the opening]].
* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'': [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/girlwiththekeys/ In the library]].

* ''Webcomic/WoodenRose'': [[http://www.woodenrosecomic.com/comic/chapter4/88.html The forest in the dream.]]

* Filipino artist Creator/FernandoAmorsolo, is often fond of this technique in an inverted manner, where he paints the countryside landscapes being illuminated in sunlight while the people are cast in shadow.