Light- and heat-sensitive composition, and recording material

A light- and heat-sensitive composition which contains a photo-hardenable composition containing a photo-hardenable compound and a photoinitiator, and at least one dye selected from the group represented by the following general formulae (I), (II), (III) and (IV):

• ##STR9## wherein Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 each represents an aryl group or a heteroaryl group and may be bound to each other to form a ring;
• Rs.sup.1-6 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group or a heteroaryl group, provided that both R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are not hydrogen atoms at the same time;
• Y represents CN, NO.sub.2, SO.sub.2 --R.sup.7, SO--R.sup.7, COO--R.sup.7 or ##STR10## in which R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 is each a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group or a heteroaryl group;
• A represents atoms necessary for forming a 5- or 6-membered ring;
• X.sup.- represents a residue having an electric charge of -1, with the ring ##STR11## in the general formulae (II) and (IV) being optionally fused with an aromatic ring or a heterocyclic ring, and Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, ring A and ring ##STR12## being optionally substituted by other substituents.