Amuse-bouche: Heavy light.

An oxymoron.

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Today’s Wonderful Word: “chiaroscuro.”

Definition: the distribution of light and shade in a picture.

Etymology: “Chiaroscuro” was first recorded in English between 1680 and 1690. It comes from Italian and is composed of chiaro, meaning “bright,” and oscuro, meaning “dark.” From chiaro comes the English word “clear,” “free from darkness; light,” and from oscuro comes “obscure,” “not clear” or “lacking in light.” Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio famously utilized the technique of chiaroscuro in their works of art.

Examples: 

The photograph captured the beautiful chiaroscuro of the sunset, with vibrant hues blending seamlessly into deepening shadows.

The filmmaker expertly crafted a scene using chiaroscuro to heighten the tension, casting eerie shadows across the dimly lit room.

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To all my faithful readers, I want to thank you for sticking with me thus far through 2023. I have decided to take a break as the start of the new year approaches. Lately, I have felt the strong pull to dedicate more time to writing a novel. While I have felt great pleasure publishing blogs, it is a dream of mine to publish a book. 

After the end of this year, I’m not sure when I’ll come back to posting regularly on samediqqch. There may be infrequent postings during the new year, but who’s to know what the future holds.

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Answer to Saturday’s riddle:

1. Nepal
2. Lithuania
3. Indonesia
4. Zimbabwe
5. Nicaragua