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…

Francisco Goya

Goya's color darkened with his vision. The early tapestry cartoons blaze with Spanish reds and yellows; the Black Paintings reduce the world to ochre, umber, and bone.

Palette: #1A1610 #887354 #3D2E1E #BBA577 #5D4830 #5B331A #8F9991 #BB8335

  • Portrait of the Marchioness of Santa Cruz (1805): #1E1A18 #4C382C #795946 #603727 #BCAE97 #807A6E
  • The Death of the Picador (1793): #B47E38 #573719 #321A0B #8D541A #CD7117 #592709
  • Charles IV in Red (1789): #151713 #85422A #616442 #3F4334 #897F5D #5D392A
  • Witches' Sabbath (1820): #605336 #403629 #2B231F #181514 #8C764A #B0975D
  • La Maja Desnuda (1795): #312A1E #BAA074 #15231A #836C4C #54503A #483725
  • The Parasol (1777): #34342D #BEB79F #7D98AD #93875B #1D1413 #707161
  • Saint Ambrose (ca. 1796-99): #191815 #5B5140 #31281D #8F8067 #B4AE9A #452913
  • Portrait of the Marquesa de Santiago (1804): #3C4243 #4C3E2D #181612 #2E2820 #6D5B4B #8A7869
  • Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel (1800): #0D0D0A #282416 #422D21 #25170F #664B3B #B2937B
  • The Second of May (1814): #726553 #54402B #34291D #8D704A #978F7C #BDB290
  • The Dog (1819): #B6A172 #978252 #3F2B13 #7C693E #29180A #664F23
  • Judith and Holofernes (1819): #4F4936 #312D24 #0D0D09 #7B6E48 #9A8955 #BBAA71
  • Charles IV of Spain and His Family (1800): #5B4329 #1A100C #2D1F12 #8B7350 #3E2B1B #BF986B
  • Asmodea (1819): #BBAE76 #877C53 #221F19 #473B2B #635238 #A25939
  • Consecration of Aloysius Gonzaga as Patron Saint of Youth (1763): #35332A #201F1B #6C7061 #5D4F3A #999A82 #AA8751
  • Christ on the Mount of Olives (1819): #0F0E0E #312616 #1E1E18 #A97230 #DD943A #835722
  • Boy on a Ram (1786): #7A9C99 #332C18 #E1D3B1 #AB9064 #34482C #A4AB94
  • The Strolling Players (1793): #C3C1B6 #625A44 #84847A #423322 #151818 #2D241B
  • Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1787-88): #585442 #25231C #3C372B #847B65 #664E3A #7C2D1F
  • Josefa de Castilla Portugal y van Asbrock de Garcini (1775-About 1850) (1804): #191413 #442F1F #A0907E #835B43 #7B6A59 #604835
  • Ignacio Garcini y Queralt (1752-1825), Brigadier of Engineers (1804): #1C1916 #373129 #735E4A #100D0E #9F8771 #782B1C
  • Bullfight in a Divided Ring (ca. 1810): #393022 #8D724C #58452D #5F6C5F #261E15 #B8A680
  • Majas on a Balcony (ca. 1800-10): #362E25 #18130F #857660 #362216 #564E41 #77593E
  • Ferdinand VII (1784-1833), When Prince of Asturias (ca. 1800): #352B17 #161005 #201B0C #57462C #6F6143 #937F60
  • A City on a Rock: #486C6E #221F1A #494334 #706448 #2E4A4E #83978B

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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