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…

Edward Burne-Jones

Burne-Jones dreamed in color. His tapestry-like compositions deploy muted golds, sage greens, and dusty blues — a palette of medieval reverie.

Palette: #9F8C69 #483E32 #6B5B40 #CBC1A7 #70482B #89663E #6A2E1A #A37639

  • The Love Song (1868-77): #2E2B23 #614B37 #414132 #AC8156 #452D22 #896747
  • Design for a Window: Ethelbert (date not known): #807453 #443E2A #282417 #61593F #19150C
  • Lovers in a Garden (1863): #D1C2A8 #A9967B #775F46 #452D17
  • Figure of a Queen (1861): #D1CAAF #795D41 #9F896C #B6A78A #583922 #422512
  • Thisbe (1861): #AC9D80 #6F5238 #8F7A5D #442A18
  • Dido (1861): #C3B69B #6D4C30 #917657 #A99578 #492A16 #321A0C
  • King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid (1884): #081011 #5D361B #774C26 #5E4836 #452819 #0F292D
  • St Luke (1872): #706752 #988A68 #4C4433 #8C8777 #826D44
  • Fountain of Youth (1873-81): #4B4139 #8C7762 #6E5641 #36302C #6F665C #B09474
  • The Temple of Love (date not known): #A79C83 #80755E #8A5041 #946A5F #9F8765 #69523F
  • The Passing of Venus (1898): #A78D6C #846D53 #838670 #5C5949 #6B543B
  • King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid (1862): #5D584B #918671 #3F3934 #6C4231 #BAAE98 #563E34
  • The Magic Circle (ca. 1882): #6D8083 #F2E6D1 #BBCBD2 #B3A699 #DDBC9A #3F5F69
  • The Call of Perseus; Perseus and the Graiae; Perseus and the Nereids (1875): #867965 #D6BB83 #A98E5B #B7B4A9 #555756 #6E5C3E
  • The Finding of Medusa; the Death of Medusa (the Birth of Pegasus and Chrysaor); Perseus Pursued by the Gorgons (1875): #8B7958 #5A5349 #AF9563 #645131 #CEB584 #AFA082
  • Atlas Turned to Stone; the Rock of Doom and the Doom Fulfilled; the Court of Phineas; the Baleful Head (1875): #897A60 #A28859 #C7AF82 #757777 #ACA38F #685942
  • Woman in an Interior (ca. 1861): #BEAE7D #11100C #50340E #271D10 #765921 #AC9454
  • Study of a Draped Male Figure. Verso: Man with Sword (ca. 1879): #376250 #6E9285 #204935 #9AB8AD #C3D9D1 #123620
  • The Golden Stairs (1880): #9A8F78 #786950 #585041 #C3B596 #41392E
  • Clerk Saunders (1861): #543D32 #6F4A37 #342E29 #9B7053 #6F6050 #D5A577
  • The Morning of the Resurrection (1886): #4E4136 #302F2F #736252 #48302B #9C846A
  • Frieze of Eight Women Gathering Apples (1876): #9F773F #C6A46B #E7C38F #877555 #B8AA8E #D79058
  • A Woman Playing a Cithara (1896): #232019 #A6A16C #625D39 #3A361E #0F0E0A #7D7039
  • Vespertina Quies (1893): #352D2C #973323 #A56E32 #1D1B1C #5A5C3F #6A4127
  • Love and the Pilgrim (1896): #4A4439 #312F2A #726344 #584A31 #807F71 #56666C
  • Sidonia von Bork (1860): #4D453B #33312D #735D41 #D6BD98 #AA9373 #85765F
  • Clara von Bork (1860): #4B3C2C #322D24 #746445 #221F1C #5B3832 #9E8765
  • The Mermaid (1882): #84838B #E5CBA5 #907968 #664A46 #B79267 #906948
  • Earth Mother (1882): #866B4C #413A2F #987935 #5E5C4F #B89C72 #697383
  • Perseus and Andromeda (1876): #9A9D6E #6A6642 #E2DBAD #CCBF7D #4A432E #B09852
  • Princess Sabre, or the King's Daughter (1865): #AB5F2D #89693E #422C21 #0E0B1B #CD8C55 #624015
  • Fair Rosamund and Queen Eleanor (1861): #362F33 #784039 #4E4039 #562F2D #915D4C #98775E
  • L'Adoration des Mages (1904): #785E48 #2D332C #AB8A6E #4F4637 #6D1D15 #C0AA8F
  • The Garden Court (1870): #757B74 #555B36 #4A564D #93885C #3B4224 #9C9F9B
  • The Hours (1882): #302A22 #6F5435 #813826 #A18256 #DBD5B9 #A2AEB7
  • The Wheel of Fortune (1883): #342721 #6F5F44 #4B3D2E #A89979 #61594A #221917
  • The Fight: St George Kills the Dragon VI (1866): #241D1C #44351B #33291C #AB9463 #695326 #9B531E
  • The Garden of Pan ((188): #49452D #625B3A #938556 #373322 #7F5D38 #D9BF80
  • Night (1870): #253546 #34446F #4761A6 #131F28 #6C80B9 #243354
  • Hope (1896): #1D1715 #5D3A1D #805F2D #432819 #321F16 #9E8356
  • Sponsa de Libano (1891): #8C6D46 #644D3C #9C8E69 #7A6D55 #5F6666 #B7955D
  • The Garden Court by in the Museo de Arte in Ponce, Puerto Rico (1870): #595F38 #5B6560 #898C85 #3C4224 #968B5D #39473D
  • The Sleeping Princess: #6A5E37 #47391F #866E35 #9E9263 #634819 #C9B984

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

0 artists selected
Copied!