Those who appreciate fine art understand that lightness and darkness play a prominent role in the works of everyone from the Old Masters to contemporary artists. Indeed, seeing paintings through the prism of lightness and darkness can give us insight into the artist's soul, into our perceptions, and into our own experience.

Few would argue that paintings can trigger deep emotional responses. Throughout the ages, artists have captured moments of sorrow, of joy, of spiritual awakenings, and of the ordinary events of everyday life. To a large extent, paintings elicit emotions though their subject matter, the media used, and through the degree of realism or abstraction employed.

Subject Matter

In fine art, lightness and darkness is often used metaphorically. For example, contemporary artist Anthony Falbo created a Light and Dark Series in which he explores good and evil through the use of symbols. Painted in a surrealistic style, this series could be termed spiritual art or God art. While some of the paintings have recognizable religious themes - like images of Jesus - others use symbols for heaven and hell.

Color Perception

An artist uses lightness and darkness to convey moods, whether subtle or intense. Larry Poons' "Sunnyside Switch" is an in-your-face example of a work that uses both color and patterns to play with human perception and produce the illusion of movement within a painting. The result? A lightness that carries you into and away from the work. In contrast, Picasso's "Blue Period" paintings communicate despondency and even despair - largely through his use of dark and muted hues of blue. As the artist's mood lifts, his color palette expands, and more lightness enters Picasso's paintings. The result? His "Rose Period."

Composition

Lightness and darkness are also reflected in the composition or style of a painting. Impressionists, for example, used lightness or darkness to convey the mood - or impression - of the scene. Working quickly, often with a palette knife rather than a brush, 19th century Impressionists were derided for failing to render "realistic" paintings. Today, contemporary artists like Anthony Falbo use thick layers of paint applied with a palette knife to bring bold and colorful paintings to life.

Lightness and darkness also play an important role in cubism, a style pioneered by Picasso and Georges Braque in the early 20th century. The process of deconstructing and re-assembling an image or object relies heavily on communicating the form through subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) differences in tone. Today, contemporary artists combine cubism and abstraction to transform everyday subject matter into what some would consider extreme - even going so far as to incorporate subliminal messages into the work.

At Home

The many elements of lightness and darkness in fine art are always food for thought. That's one of the reasons why it's important to incorporate art into your home decor. Thanks to the contemporary artists working today, you don't have to be wealthy or visit a museum in order to enjoy fine art. Indeed, although original works are purchased by collectors and museums, you can often find limited edition prints in various sizes and at affordable prices.