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…

Helene Schjerfbeck

Schjerfbeck distilled portraiture to its chromatic essence. Her late self-portraits reduce the palette to bone, ash, and ochre — color as autobiography.

Palette: #AC9B7E #675D4C #D5C9B5 #513923 #7D532C #8F724E #BF8252 #73291C

  • Masquerade Picture; Rococo Woman (1887): #BAB6B2 #C19DA8 #8C8689 #9FAFCC #232527 #A67679
  • Girl with a Madonna (1881): #41392F #353D3B #B19F76 #252524 #555F59 #826F48
  • Rigoletto (1881): #9F908A #1E201C #817166 #4F402E #B23B2D #3F201B
  • Young Girl Under the Birch Trees (1891): #B1B5B1 #BAB99A #8F7D64 #8C9F66 #818780 #1E1A17
  • Fête Juive (Feast of Tabernacles) (1883): #847556 #D9C49B #121110 #302B22 #B1A181 #4A4F4C
  • Girl with Blonde Hair (1916): #DBCDBD #C38D7C #C9A693 #D4816B #97908D
  • Keltaisia Ruusuja (1942): #AFA197 #D2CAB2 #847C65 #A8A781 #D1BA70 #564E3E
  • Lukeva Tytto (1910): #CBBDAF #B59E90 #453A38 #8F7D71 #685952
  • Sjundby Gård Sjundby Manor (1927): #958F67 #BBB19A #514625 #706033 #9D9E9A #68684E
  • The Convalescent (1888): #332E28 #604630 #B0AA9B #625A50 #7E796F #866A4A
  • Bunny Dolls (1884): #605149 #9B9586 #8C7A54 #77716C #754E4C #423C3C
  • Cirkusflickan Circus Girl (1916): #D7C4A9 #DBB6B1 #A8987B #D0AC7F #CD955E #BE6946
  • Girl Reading (1904): #62502D #867854 #382E19 #B2ADA1 #6D6F6E #18130E
  • Girls Reading (1907): #BDA991 #757261 #1F1914 #A08C71 #3E3023 #8F6D45
  • Mommo" Granny (1907): #382D2B #4E544D #867D75 #C7C3BF #B89A7D #815D3D
  • Lilla Lisa ; Flickhuvud Little Liisa (1879): #342F2A #181311 #BC8F62 #251D19 #98693E #C4BAA6
  • Finnish: Maria (1909): #404B4C #ADABB1 #373533 #888C9D #957959 #6D6D72
  • Actor, Matti Kiianlinna (1926): #9E723F #302D27 #BDA26D #735D40 #4D4436 #C9BA9B
  • Finnish: Äitini My Mother (1909): #877759 #1B1E1D #C5BA9D #896227 #685E54 #684F22
  • On the Rocking Chair (1910): #E6E6D8 #78847D #B6B4A5 #424139 #9D856A #525E5F
  • Portrait of Helena Westermarck (1884): #544A40 #9C8771 #CFC0A4 #392A1D #776A5B #1C1917
  • Rosy-Cheeked Girl (1927): #7D6B4F #D0C8AE #AF9B7A #574836 #C5B28E #332C24
  • The Apple Girl (1928): #967B56 #342D2E #B49D84 #524A41 #96AE89 #887863
  • The Family Heirloom (1915): #C1B194 #AC5B3A #B3A26B #7A6E4D #D2C8B8 #8A864B
  • Vedhuggaren I the Woodcutter I: #6F4E2B #48453A #957952 #B7A58B #67604F #867963
  • Finnish: Kaksi Naisprofiilia (Etualalla Marianne Preindelsberger) Two Profiles (1881): #0C0B10 #6B4E2D #47301B #271B15 #7F786A #0A1625
  • Under Linden Under the Linden (1911): #ACACA5 #DCCFD5 #989CAF #BDAF8E #A38284 #DED1B7
  • Woman and Child: #322821 #7D725B #514535 #6A573E #B8A087 #1B1514
  • White Narcissi 1890s (1890): #C3BFA9 #999E7C #DBCC99 #C3BA6A #7B8966 #847B47
  • Portrait of a Man (1881): #33312F #C0B297 #4D4B46 #78756F #644839 #935829
  • Kvinnohuvud X: #838792 #B6B2BB #928260 #5F636B #944A43 #AC9A90
  • Roses (Recto): #9C8A67 #4A493A #6D634B #7E5A44 #D0BD9C #532D3C
  • Stamp of Finland (1862-1946): #D6D4B5 #A7A884 #4E4D53 #898262 #5F5E50 #B4C1AB
  • Atsalea (1904): #8C7664 #C9BDB0 #4A4238 #A99B8A
  • The Old Manor (1901): #D4D5C2 #4B5B32 #717D53 #0A1204 #8F9277 #9BA49E
  • The Girl from Barösund (1890): #888475 #9C9B75 #D4D2C9 #778453 #B6B5A3 #755F48
  • Chickens Amongst Cornstooks (1888): #907749 #D7D3D0 #674F2C #8D836F #B1B0B5 #C0A277
  • Charcoal Burner (1882): #675D3D #302725 #4C442E #3F362C #988B6B #B6AD94
  • The Sailor (Einar Reuter) (1918): #C7BAA8 #938A75 #8A734D #6C6754 #AF956F #5B533C
  • By the Cradle (1893): #594734 #BBB296 #46403B #877154 #302B29 #A49274
  • Fête Juive (1883): #857556 #DBC99E #101010 #B3A382 #4E514C #302C21
  • Young Woman Under the Birches (1891): #ABB1B0 #BFBFA3 #8D7B63 #81975F #797F75 #201C19
  • Fragment (1904): #AA9C85 #645047 #836953 #272A31 #8E8989 #404C50
  • Park Bench (1883): #847559 #52442D #BAA387 #715538 #D7C2B0 #32231A
  • Unfinished Portrait (1921): #8B8067 #BFAB8A #494542 #656156
  • Factory Workers on the Way to Work (1921): #8D7271 #5E4E42 #7A423C #2B232A #B1ABA8 #A95E56
  • The Petite Servant (1918): #D5BB98 #B19776 #F2EBE2 #D5C6B7 #1C1511 #8A7152
  • The Bakery (1887): #221511 #C3AAA2 #7F5B34 #624B3E #A88661 #90796E
  • Singer in Green (1916): #678F95 #36292C #D3D1C1 #BDBEA1 #55686D #9D9E85
  • Blonde Girl (Girl with Blue Bow) (1923): #AE9D76 #7B725E #564D3B #9B9685 #D1C1A7 #766744
  • Spanish Girl (1928): #8C7E4F #615439 #735F2C #B4AC8D #463C2E #7F765B
  • Girl at the Gate I (1900): #DAE1DC #8EA180 #BDC7B1 #ACBAC8 #1B2529 #667457
  • Girl on a Red Sofa (1882): #C2C3B7 #909388 #BB676C #B8444C #0A0F10 #913C44
  • Student Cap (After the Party) (1879): #6C6D5F #BBBD99 #939B7E #78281E #A03027 #403E36
  • Self-Portrait with Black Background (1915): #BEB69F #1F1F1E #8C6F44 #A0947F #43423D #716D65
  • My Mother (1909): #877658 #1A1D1D #C6BEA4 #876126 #6A605A #C4AA7E
  • Modern Schoolgirl (1928): #B8A992 #9B8A72 #7F7260 #584C3F
  • The Seamstress (the Working Woman) (1905): #807356 #0C0C0B #383224 #564D38 #361F15 #1F1814
  • The Gipsy Woman (1919): #866D34 #C9AF7C #5D4C2B #CC9B45 #111010 #6F5E39
  • The School Girl II (Girl in Black) (1908): #7C6446 #0D0D0C #69450F #8A6523 #65482D #302013
  • Costume Picture I (Girl with Orange, the Baker's Daughter) (1909): #434548 #53442D #B1A8A5 #776B5D #947B5A #222426
  • Little Liisa (1879): #332E2A #201915 #B98B5D #14100F #C4BAA6 #906137
  • Girl from California I (1919): #665C46 #A39681 #453D2C #805237 #30261C #191612
  • Head of a Girl (1886): #0D1109 #5A3A1D #39220F #C1A571 #826437 #21190B
  • Girl Reading (Seated Girl) (1904): #867956 #67542F #271F13 #42351C #B6B2A7 #563D1A
  • Granny (1907): #382D2B #4D544C #8D7F78 #6E716B #CBC6C2 #B5916E
  • Copy of Holbein's Painting Sir Richard Southwell (1886): #151512 #AA692B #884F1D #663613 #0B090A #432711
  • Copy of Velázquez's Painting Infantinna Maria Teresia (1894): #1A1F1C #897057 #3D2A1F #B07B5B #2F4B3F #111211
  • Mother and Child (1917): #AD9A71 #583A24 #C6BFAA #85744D #544736 #32241A
  • Glass of Lemonade, Copy of Gerh. Terborch's Painting (1892): #0B0703 #4B3B1E #2F2311 #211207 #A28B5C #3B1D07
  • Sjundby Manor (1927): #B8AF96 #918C62 #584C27 #3F371E #9D9F9A #796738
  • Circus Girl (1916): #D8C5AA #DBB7B3 #B69F7D #CA9C69 #ACA08F #C06A48
  • Copy of Frans Hals´ Painting Man in a Slouch Hat (1892): #0C0806 #311D0A #211107 #C1B69E #6B4A19 #51320D
  • The Cossack (the Beautiful Cossack) (1878): #070708 #665434 #B17A40 #8A5A2E #211E1C #4A2817
  • Under the Linden (1911): #ACACA5 #DCCFD3 #8D909C #C7BA9A #A38580 #B0B6CA
  • The Woodcutter I (1910): #73502C #514D42 #AE9D84 #6A5840 #9A7E56 #393730
  • Spaniard (1881): #353023 #977653 #C3A57E #0A0A07 #524C38 #1D1814
  • Red Apples (1915): #E7E2D8 #9898B1 #C1B6B6 #DD674F #D1A4A3 #C98163
  • Girl on the Sand (1912): #DEB78D #DD4722 #DA9F66 #D37D47 #E1CDB3 #A8672F
  • Shadow on the Wall II (Green Bench) (1928): #757251 #A59D82 #644C2B #B9B5AF #3A3020 #272119
  • Emigrant (1918): #6E6651 #C0B3A0 #948768 #4F4836 #302F2A #9B9384
  • Costume Picture II (1909): #6D6758 #BFB7AB #463E36 #948C79 #6C5C40 #262125
  • Copy of Holbein's Painting John Chambers (1894): #0A0B0B #2C1811 #997249 #4E3120 #6E4B2E
  • Annuli Reading (1923): #B19976 #8F7653 #6C5434 #432D17
  • The Fencer (1924): #ECD8B4 #AC9164 #D5BC8F #8A6F42 #4D4942 #B28F4D
  • At Work (1903): #1B2229 #BEB597 #84692F #091015 #E1DCC3 #7C7058
  • The Red-Haired Girl II (1915): #C4B993 #E1DAC7 #7E533D #A27B5B #A1A083 #B0966F
  • Figurstudie (1884): #886D51 #B8AA8D #3E3E36 #5E462D #653322 #27261F
  • At the Door of Linköping Jail In (1882): #995E57 #43424C #262731 #757882 #18181D #C9C5BB

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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