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…

Gerhard Richter

Richter treats color as both subject and material. Color charts arrange hundreds of random hues into grids; squeegee abstractions drag wet paint into accidental relationships.

Palette: #B4A78E #A08D56 #6B6A4E #0C0D0E #7D3222 #C7BF24 #7A5B33 #888932

  • Schwarz, Rot, Gold (1998): #201915 #CFBB73 #65010E #D3CFC9 #7B0112 #B5AFA0
  • Fenster (Window) (2025): #C1AB9B #706057 #9F897B #322A27
  • Vor Strontium 110205 Cropped 2 (2 No): #1B1920 #3D373A #9D7B57 #5D5350 #867D72 #08070B
  • Vor Strontium 110205 Cropped 3 (2 No): #1E1C24 #3B353B #A78460 #0B0A0E #605453 #8C8278
  • Wandbild Hagenwerder 1 (2022): #A09590 #B4C9E9 #B6A588 #7F5620 #867568 #8BB2E5
  • Abstract Painting (809-3) (1994): #B5B532 #DDCC14 #82863C #63663F #909A76 #44473E
  • Untitled (1985): #B39D7A #713621 #9A8E4F #69644B #5D3B2D #8B3622
  • Abstract Painting No. 439 (1978): #575750 #72785A #41413F #9B9F80 #949659 #54413B
  • St John (1988): #1F2725 #0C1412 #234540 #3D2424 #5C5B51 #561920
  • Abstract Painting (726) (1990): #76716B #544B44 #573A30 #AEA6A1 #393939 #D7C8C0

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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