Chapter One

C•h•i•a•r•o•s•c•u•r•o

chiar·oscu·ro \ k¯e-'är-e-'skyur-(')¯o, z'skur- \ noun

1: pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color

2 a: the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art

2 b: the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities (as of mood or character)

3: a 16th century woodcut technique involving the use of several blocks to print different tones of the same color; also: a print made by this technique

4: the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface

5: the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow

The Chiaroscurist

Hal Duncan

The First Day Of Creation

In the nook of the tavern, the old man’s face—or part of it—catches the fireglow slanting through the frame of oak door left ajar as he leans forward across the table, elbows on the wood, a glinting silver mechanism in one hand going clunk, chik with the flicking of a thumb, while, with his other hand, he holds a cigarette up to his mouth to draw in a breath—foosh. He holds it for a perfect moment of satiation, head raised now so that his bliss-closed eyes come out from under the shadow of his hat’s wide brim, as if basking in the warmth of sunlight blood red through their lids; and even beneath the bush of drooping grey moustache that his fingers seem half-buried in, there is a hint of smile on the lips pursed round the roll-up. Let there be light, I think, and then he leans back, disappearing into the leather shadow of the nook to blow out billows of blue-grey tha