The Colorist
Archive

A living archive of how artists work with color across time. Each artist profile scans publicly available works to trace dominant colors, a chromatic fingerprint, and the arc of a palette across a lifetime.A living archive of how artists work with color across time, tracing palettes, fingerprints, and lifetime arcs from public works.

Begin with an artist, carry a palette into the drawing system, or read the wider project.Begin with an artist, carry a palette into the drawing system, or read the wider project.

Scanning works…

Diego Velázquez

Velázquez achieved more with silver, grey, and black than most painters do with the full spectrum. His restricted palette produces an illusion of infinite subtlety.

Palette: #1D1915 #4B402F #76664D #57321C #784D2B #B4936F #D1B996 #A17341

  • Portrait of Duke Francesco I D'Este (1638): #160805 #923634 #B26259 #DF9B7C #6B1B16 #421710
  • The Supper at Emmaus (1618): #5C4633 #151214 #3F2816 #85331B #815414 #693E16
  • Juan de Pareja (1650): #15130D #352F23 #252119 #928C72 #694934 #776C57
  • Philip IV (1605-1665), King of Spain (1624): #191713 #3C3226 #292219 #291413 #8F725A #5F4D3D
  • Portrait of the Jester Calabazas (ca. 1631-32): #574B3A #393023 #121110 #27221A #4D311B #8E7962
  • Isabella Af Bourbon (1614): #564E47 #444341 #8A725A #BB956F
  • Isabella Af Bourbon, Kong Philip IV's Første Dronning (1614-60): #3A3126 #594C39 #65372D #7B6C51 #282119 #A18A68
  • Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares (1625): #211A14 #5C5844 #3A3125 #553223 #100B06 #988264
  • The Nun Jerónima de la Fuente (1620): #413624 #29241C #1D1B17 #5A3D23 #C3AE8F #9C6B47
  • Portrait of a Woman (1646): #180E0E #482F22 #854A1C #431E14 #B98747 #301A14
  • Sibyl (1632): #716450 #775020 #4B3A29 #181817 #2D2218 #583617
  • Portrait of a Lady (1630): #6D5E4A #101010 #24221F #3E261A #473C30 #D4B99B
  • Portrait of Mariana of Austria (1652): #2D2E24 #696650 #9E9A7E #8E644B #44412F #C8BD9D
  • Portrait of Infanta Margarita Teresa (1653): #2D2011 #AF9C75 #1A0A04 #5A361A #AC763F #53432A
  • Philip IV (1605-1665), King of Spain (1624): #1B1814 #3B3226 #2A1514 #90735C #5D4E3E #41281B
  • María Teresa (1638-1683), Infanta of Spain (1651): #080606 #D4BCB0 #685B50 #1C120E #93857C #452C1A
  • Isabella of Bourbon (1630): #1F1310 #382921 #7A6957 #421A16 #524238 #29100A
  • Philip IV, King of Spain (1624): #141410 #615546 #433524 #2E2213 #36190F #B49B7E
  • Portrait of Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain (1655): #1F1E1B #938969 #6E654D #3D3729 #554B37 #D1C296
  • Self-Portrait (1645): #18191A #846951 #57483D #BE9266 #393531 #D8B48C
  • Last Supper (1629): #1D171C #0A0B14 #7B6346 #3C2822 #574030 #A5937A
  • Los Borrachos (the Triumph of Bacchus) (1628): #0A0806 #1D1A15 #45493D #342214 #4B2D17 #C9B9A2
  • Detail of Portrait of Fernando Valdés Showing Signature Of (1630): #120403 #E2A938 #F2D891 #540505 #3C0704 #710608
  • Portrait of Don Diego de Corral y Arellano (1632): #272720 #191C1C #3F1610 #0E0F0E #3F3B2F #5F4E35
  • Portrait of Don Pedro de Barberana (1632): #0A0C13 #3C3028 #65553B #8E7A56 #D7AC8B #222931
  • Doña Antonia de Ipeñarrieta y Galdós and Her Son Don Luis (1632): #22201C #433222 #A68D6F #5B4633 #5C3A20 #78614B
  • Saint Paul (1618): #453A27 #2A271A #7C6041 #191A0F #5E3B2A #B6865C
  • Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV (1634): #7B8A94 #6D5D3E #525242 #38281B #120D09 #9E9677
  • Prince Balthasar Charles as a Hunter (1636): #463E22 #6D7875 #252619 #B6B9AD #654921 #3B4534
  • Francisco Pacheco (1620): #2B231D #100B12 #463929 #7B6443 #604D35 #B4A58F
  • Prince Balthasar Charles with a Dwarf (1631): #252121 #412C25 #A2987D #C5BC9F #603324 #8A735A
  • The Jester Named Don John of Austria (1632): #3B3126 #94744A #58452E #743E24 #735635 #B49871
  • Portrait of Philip IV in Armour (1626): #443D31 #262524 #7C5645 #AD9B92 #4D2522 #362820
  • The Surrender of Breda (1634): #2B251E #4A3D2C #888E7E #6F5F41 #A4B8C0 #809BAC
  • Portrait of Francisco Lezcano (1634): #2A2A1D #10140E #464937 #7C857A #5F655A #BCAD92
  • Portrait of Juan Martínez Montañés (1635): #252722 #6A5943 #42392B #BD9F88 #141916
  • Mars Resting (1640): #302F22 #663F2F #C99C7B #946A53 #40271D #494331
  • Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles (1634): #76827E #2D2615 #5B451E #53605B #505036 #140F06
  • Joseph's Tunic (1630): #736359 #3B3532 #4F2F29 #2C201F #381D1A #9BA2A5
  • Adoration of the Magi (1619): #180F0E #2E1B16 #432A22 #623D2F #84522F #9E6B3A
  • Philip IV in Old Age (1653): #100F0C #2C2A22 #B9AB91 #404036 #615741 #867556
  • Old Woman Cooking Eggs (1618): #0A0C06 #2F200E #66350F #47270C #684D26 #B7A77E
  • Christ Crucified (1632): #20211D #846443 #CFBF9A #AF9A74 #382E20 #58452F
  • The Lunch (1617): #2D1C18 #463422 #644F2F #786A4F #1B0A03
  • The Waterseller of Seville (1620): #1F1B21 #3D2F2D #694837 #94623F #B27D49 #2E2421
  • Saint Peter Weeping (1617): #080B0A #434745 #BB6E50 #7D4C3E #74726B #162524
  • Portrait of Cardinal Camillo Massimi (1650): #3C2210 #0F121F #131A35 #56320E #30221F #581603
  • The Triumph of Bacchus (1628): #21180E #432513 #4F4738 #6B3F1F #352315 #0C0A04
  • Las Meninas (1656): #130F09 #2E2011 #8D714F #6D5032 #423827 #4E2F14
  • Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan (1630): #2B2614 #685A3A #4D3E1B #9C8566 #443D28 #674813
  • Rokeby Venus (1644): #988874 #3A3B39 #332B1D #1F1C18 #673331 #584C3F
  • Equestrian Portrait of Elisabeth of France (1631): #817F78 #34251A #55341E #B3A693 #75543B #E1D0BA
  • Three Musicians (1618): #0A0A0A #231C1A #7D5E2C #462C1A #352016 #5D3B1C
  • Buffoon with Books, Formerly Known as Portrait of "el Primo (1640): #181917 #544C30 #362E1C #CCBE97 #807554 #A69F83
  • Democritus (1628): #100D0F #2A1E1A #472C1E #684731 #C8A77B #9D744E
  • Portrait of Sebastián de Morra (1644): #2A2519 #473D22 #645631 #7C6E47 #A18A61 #181411
  • Mercury and Argus (1659): #1D1E0E #524224 #2D2D18 #452A10 #895730 #919A8E
  • St. Ildefonso Receiving the Chasuble from the Virgin (1623): #100B0E #2A1A17 #4E3725 #382923 #785B30 #683E1E
  • Las Hilanderas (1655): #372F23 #6B5E4C #92897F #1C1C19 #50422F #2C3235
  • Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (1618): #282018 #14110F #4E4A46 #3A2C16 #523B19 #6D4E18
  • Philip IV in Brown and Silver (1635): #322C23 #6E6044 #543029 #514939 #201C17 #968F79
  • Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid (1632): #8E6E4F #1D1917 #785639 #543A26 #302A26 #090708
  • Equestrian Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares (1636): #8A918E #948965 #33342D #5D6254 #5D5238 #623D1E
  • Equestrian Portrait of Philip III (1634): #5C6475 #514A41 #948E8A #7E654B #2D2820 #756E67
  • Saint Thomas (1618): #29251D #674F28 #9D762E #4C3D27 #DA9D23 #BB8821
  • The Farmers' Lunch (1618): #1B1C17 #E5DCD4 #2A241A #3C2F21 #6C5F48 #532F18
  • Self Portrait (1650): #0F0C12 #2F1C15 #201819 #AB7752 #855633 #61361C
  • Female Figure (Sibyl with Tabula Rasa) (1648): #130A08 #605537 #A19279 #413320 #291B13 #7F745A
  • Head of a Man in Profile (1618): #2F211A #1C130F #8D4B31 #411F12 #60301E #CE7B69
  • Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness (1618): #2D2720 #504234 #6B5E4E #9D7B58 #928374 #1F150C
  • Portrait of Juan de Pareja (1650): #40392B #14110C #252118 #B1AA8E #78533C #91836A
  • Portrait of a Man (ca. 1650): #3F352A #181717 #2B251F #A2785C #7A5841

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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