Thursday, March 27, 2008

Shades of gray

Martyrdom of St. Philip, 1639, Prado, Madrid
By Jusepe de Ribera


Tenebrous: One of those words which to the uninitiated could mean anything. This word per se doesn't give away even an inkling of its meaning.

Meaning: Dark and gloomy

Etymology: "full of darkness," c.1420, from O.Fr. tenebreus (11c.), from L. tenebrosus, from tenebræ "darkness"
Deeply indebted to the site www.etymonline.com for the above

Another nice trivia associated with the etymology is the following taken from the wonderful book "All About Words" by Maxwell Nurnberg and Morris Rosenblum:

"Tenerbism is a style of painting specifically associated with Caravaggio(1565-1609) and his followers, who hid most of the figures in shadow while strikingly illuminating others. In Italian these painters are referred to as Tenebrosi, " the somber ones.""

Usage: "Everyone bangs on, rightly enough, about global warming. So, in the best citizen-bullying ministerial way, the authorities compelled us to live in three-quarter light under tenebrous neon perversions instead of lightbulbs. But when it comes to the suffering endured by unprivileged people swept aside by floods, they are heroically inactive."
The Guardian Dec 26, 2007...for the full article click here

"An armoured knight rides through a deep, tenebrous German forest; he is miles from home, from the distant castle on a hill, and in the creeping shadows, nightmares attack him. Death, with snakes sprouting from his rancid face, holds up an hourglass; the devil, a nauseating monstrosity, walks behind."
The Guardian Nov. 30, 2002...for the full article click here

"McVicar's staging, in Tanya McCullin's single set, was suitably tenebrous, as if the mighty trees that towered over every scene had sucked out all the light."
The Guardian July 15, 2001...for the full article click here

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Nice post.
My future is tenebrous looking.. (hehe kidding, whats the opposite of tenebrous, in a way that gives shudders to the listener?)