Exploring Darkness and Shadows

The words 'Darkness' and 'Shadow' often connote psychological fear, chaos, the unknown and death. However the the night sky, the fertile soil and the maternal womb are all dark and healthy places necessary for life.

In Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's book, "In Praise of Shadows" he states that many eastern cultures prefer jade to emeralds because those cultures prefer a "pensive luster to a shallow brilliance". He also goes on to say that in Japan the tarnished aging of silver is valued over the high gleam of polished silver, and that the aged grain of old wood is appreciated over the light tone of new wood.

For our next L7 Gallery online show we invite international artists who love to explore the various meanings of both darkness and shadow in their art work.  

1st Place: Award of $300. Two additional artists receive honorable mentions.

Accepting: Painting, Drawing, Watercolor, Photography, Sculpture, Digital Art, Printmaking, and Fabric Art

Jesse Firestone will be our juror for this e...

The words 'Darkness' and 'Shadow' often connote psychological fear, chaos, the unknown and death. However the the night sky, the fertile soil and the maternal womb are all dark and healthy places necessary for life.

In Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's book, "In Praise of Shadows" he states that many eastern cultures prefer jade to emeralds because those cultures prefer a "pensive luster to a shallow brilliance". He also goes on to say that in Japan the tarnished aging of silver is valued over the high gleam of polished silver, and that the aged grain of old wood is appreciated over the light tone of new wood.

Romeo, upon seeing Juliet, says "She hangs upon the night like a jewel in an Ethiope's ear."
Without that dark of night, who knows what might have happened?

From da Vinci, Vermeer, Goya to Vija Celmins, Astro Boy, and Kara Walker, we are looking at a wide range of mediums and international styles.

For our next L7 Gallery online show we invite artists world-wide who love to explore the various meanings of both darkness and shadow in their art work.  

Fun Definitions

Skiagraphia, meaning "shadow painting," was a technique developed in ancient Greek art, particularly during the High Classical period (c. 450–400 BCE). This method, introduced by the Athenian painter Apollodorus, aimed to create the illusion of shadow and volume on a flat surface. It involved using hatched areas and complex shading to define figures, moving beyond simple outlines.

Tenebrism, in the history of Western painting, the use of extreme contrasts of light and dark in figurative compositions to heighten their dramatic effect. (The term is derived from the Latin tenebrae, “darkness.”) In tenebrist paintings, the figures are often portrayed against a background of intense darkness, but the figures themselves are illuminated by a bright, searching light that sets off their three-dimensional forms by a harsh but exquisitely controlled chiaroscuro.

Chiaroscuro, (from Italian chiaro, “light,” and scuro, “dark”), technique employed in the visual arts to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects. Some evidence exists that ancient Greek and Roman artists used chiaroscuro effects, but in European painting the technique was first brought to its full potential by Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th century in such paintings as his Adoration of the Magi (1481).

Sfumato, (from Italian sfumare, “to tone down” or “to evaporate like smoke”), in painting or drawing, the fine shading that produces soft, imperceptible transitions between colours and tones. It is used most often in connection with the work of Leonardo da Vinci and his followers, who made subtle gradations, without lines or borders, from light to dark areas; the technique was used for a highly illusionistic rendering of facial features and for atmospheric effects.

1st Place: Award of $300. Two additional artists receive honorable mentions.

Accepting: Painting, Drawing, Watercolor, Photography, Sculpture, Digital Art, Printmaking, and Fabric Art

We are pleased to have Jesse Firestone as our juror for this exhibit. Jesse is a curator whose work centers on artist agency, institutional inquiry, and experimental approaches to exhibition-making. Working across museums, civic institutions, artist-run spaces, and unconventional sites, his exhibitions challenge established standards of display and interpretation while foregrounding conceptual, transgressive, and historically unsung perspectives.

Firestone is currently Associate Curator of RAY Triennial of Photographic Arts in Frankfurt, Germany; Curator of Exhibitions at The Interchurch Center in New York, where he is leading the strategic redevelopment of its arts program; and is a consulting curator with For the Artist, a foundation supporting artists through unrestricted funding, professional services, and public programming. 
 

Timeline

• Application Opens: 10/15/2026
• Application Deadline: 11/15/2026
• Jury Dates: 11/16/2026 - 11/19/2026
• Notification Date: 11/20/2026
• Exhibition Date: 11/20/2026 - 12/31/2026
• Winners Announcement Date: 11/20/2026

All artwork must be original.

Artist must be 18 years or older

Applications must be completed online through CaFÉ (Callforentry.org).

The fee for artists to submit art for consideration is $30.00 for 1 to 3 images. 

Contact/Questions: info@L7gallery.com

Painting, Drawing, Watercolor, Photography, Sculpture, Digital Art, Printmaking, Fabric Art