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…

Jan van Eyck

Van Eyck's mastery of oil painting produced colors of unmatched luminosity. His reds glow like stained glass, his greens have the depth of emeralds, and his rendering of light on fabric remains unsurpassed.

Palette: #C6B290 #12100D #523E2B #7A6548 #723B27 #99683E #C38B53 #891F0C

  • The Crucifixion; the Last Judgment (ca. 1436-38): #31251E #71553B #513525 #994A3E #406260 #977E60
  • Virgin and Child in a Niche (ca. 1440-50): #B4A07F #6A5C42 #8F2607 #40341D #8F754D #543E19
  • Portret de Bărbat Cu Inel (Omul Cu Tichia Albastră): #4B3040 #736D9D #F9D283 #5C4E79 #644D67 #F0B26A
  • Genter Altar, Altar des Mystischen Lammes, Rechter Außenflügel, Untere Äußere Szene: Betende Stifterin des Altares, Isabelle Borluut (Porträt): #181410 #33221B #533F27 #A0452D #813A29 #C5562F
  • The Three Marys at the Tomb: #32271D #1A1B15 #453F29 #292B19 #A89B74 #82714F
  • The Crucifixion; the Last Judgment (Detail: Left Panel of Diptych): #523922 #89653A #161817 #58848E #736545 #20303D
  • The Crucifixion; the Last Judgment, Part of a Triptychon: #6E4C2A #2F241B #665D41 #527E86 #833C27 #4B2D1D
  • Porträt des Kardinal Nicholaes Albergati: #90250A #242219 #C59252 #414643 #99662A #711703
  • The Annunciation ((c.): #42322A #2A5273 #655649 #203348 #7D2A2A #1B0E14
  • Musée Ingres-Bourdelle: #121212 #C2936C #86624A #020406 #5E4637 #302925
  • Arnolfini Portrait (1434): #33281C #24201D #2A3908 #161410 #48211A #594B37
  • Lucca Madonna (1437): #9C2412 #27190D #432B0F #62481D #8F713A #7A170E
  • Saint Jerome in His Study (1435): #2D2C2B #9E753F #55472A #6B4821 #907755 #474B4B
  • Crucifixion and Last Judgement Diptych (1440): #6C4B28 #442F1F #6E5F3F #894129 #5B8892 #9C7244
  • Madonna at the Fountain (1439): #0F2C4C #59462C #07162F #857058 #2A1C0B #372E12
  • Léal Souvenir (1432): #0D0C09 #58211B #72593E #221D07 #845436 #3D1B15
  • The Madonna in the Church (1430): #4D2E17 #0A090B #724B21 #2E1D14 #503F2F #1D1511
  • Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) (1433): #1F1E1B #41271F #5A2B20 #926340 #71492D #322019
  • Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele (1436): #453627 #1F1A13 #776248 #7F3423 #2C190D #4C2215
  • Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy (1434): #120E0B #372817 #251B13 #DDBE95 #543E26 #AF8F62
  • Portrait of Margareta van Eyck (1439): #613023 #BFBAAC #171613 #6F6155 #9C8E80 #413926
  • Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati (1438): #8F240A #2B271D #BF8D4E #424745 #191812 #735324
  • Saint Barbara (1437): #C9B9A6 #9E8D75 #9C999B #776853 #534634
  • Portrait of a Man (1430): #151314 #714536 #30221D #CE8E68 #523027 #ECBB91
  • Virgin at the Fountain (1450): #4A4B36 #9C613E #726F43 #B0A16E #504E24 #2C3329
  • Mary with Holy Spirit (1439): #281412 #C0A382 #4A2C23 #9C7B5D #6B4836 #836149
  • The Virgin and Child at the Fountain: #19242A #765939 #9E3A1C #211206 #4D381D #AA855D
  • Crucifixion (1430): #5A442E #426764 #402317 #170F0D #61321F #332E1F
  • Portrait of a Man with a Blue Chaperon (1435): #120A08 #374D5F #996D48 #230C06 #4D6A85 #2C0904
  • Adam (1432): #C9B296 #2C1519 #60413B #8A6554 #AC8C71 #442A2A
  • Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini (1438): #0C0B09 #4E4710 #413711 #6E2C23 #AD9572 #322A0E
  • The Three Marys at the Tomb (1430): #29231B #423624 #685337 #B1A782 #8C8B74 #43271C
  • Birth of John the Baptist (1423): #E4DBD1 #CABBA0 #5C564E #382016 #503825 #7A120F
  • Portrait of a Man with Carnation (1436): #0A0A0A #5B482D #392E1F #82745F #8E5731 #1D1A13
  • Portrait of Jan de Leeuw (1436): #090B09 #BB906D #1A2122 #3F2112 #784523 #95623D
  • Virgin and Child, with Saints and Donor (1442): #12100F #2A2215 #7D6A48 #D7CDB1 #453B29 #723414
  • Vera Icon (1439): #8F7146 #28201B #6A5131 #572321 #3F2A20 #563923
  • Eve (1432): #181714 #8E7349 #BA9761 #CBB386 #685133 #31271C
  • Study for Cardinal Niccolò Albergati (1431): #CBBB9F #A5926E #7C653F #473723
  • The Ghent Altarpiece (Wings Closed) (1432): #735942 #322819 #937C64 #CFBFA5 #100E06 #503F2F
  • Singing Angels (1432): #3F1E20 #6C453C #A8B4AF #642D2B #352E30 #53322E
  • Music-Making Angels (1432): #382822 #988367 #1D1A19 #583728 #765134 #594938
  • Adoration of the Lamb from the Ghent Altarpiece (1432): #6C6037 #48401A #292A19 #673018 #0E191D #A6AFA5
  • Erythraean Sibyl (1432): #40241D #D4C7AC #7E644F #AD9A7E #5B3C2F #9D7C5A
  • Angel of Annunciation: #C8B595 #28110F #624236 #150606 #A3886C #886450
  • Prophet Zacharias; Angel of the Annunciation (1432): #856A4E #CCB898 #342712 #51402D #19180C #5D3D1D
  • Cumaean Sibyl (1432): #39221E #897559 #5B4236 #C8B595 #27120F #FBFBF7
  • Erythraean Sibyl and Arched Window with a View (1432): #7A6047 #51402F #2E271A #A58C71 #C9BAA1 #90A7A2
  • The Ghent Altarpiece: the Donor (1432): #1C1812 #A9452A #6E3724 #492C1D #D2512D #322218
  • John the Baptist (1432): #AEA28C #2E251B #120F0B #8B7E69 #685B48 #4B3F30
  • The Annunciation (c. 1434/1436): #5D4A37 #3F2E1F #2A1F16 #194968 #88633D #812C29

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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