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…

Michelangelo

The Sistine ceiling revealed Michelangelo's chromatic power — iridescent flesh tones, acid greens, and rose-violet draperies that shocked contemporaries with their brilliance.

Palette: #4D3B2F #816D5D #C3B1A0 #865C47 #CE9F6A #9D744E #833D25 #A65934

  • Madonna and Child with a Male Saint, Catherine of Alexandria and a Donor (about 1496): #886E41 #301C11 #60451D #462E13 #8B3D0F #AA9C7D
  • Fată Cu Cuțit de Bucătărie: #2B170E #3B1E0B #533412 #645839 #867D5A #541F07
  • The Torment of Saint Anthony (c. 1): #7F9685 #373624 #513E22 #CAC9AB #643721 #5D5639
  • Madonna of the Rosary: #0F0903 #372A12 #521909 #91764E #390E05 #793217
  • Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness: #18100C #301C11 #905737 #E4CBA3 #704325 #411B08
  • Portrait of a Gentleman (Scipione Borghese?): #1F1818 #503928 #3A271B #D1A18A #996F5A
  • Portret Jana Dobrogosta Krasińskiego: #34332C #B1461F #513E28 #232421 #87401F #575549
  • The Entombment (1500): #957E53 #624E2E #C0A475 #B25335 #9B6947 #3B2D19
  • The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist (1540): #828C61 #6A6E4A #555536 #3E3D25 #242210
  • Prophet Ezekiel (1511): #937666 #D3BCA1 #654537 #AD9786 #BB4C38 #936749
  • Judith and Holofernes (1508): #C0BC90 #6E6E4E #877640 #4D472D #51391A #96956A
  • Jesse, David and Solomon (1511): #A39089 #786260 #5A4541 #473E47 #2A252E #452E2C
  • Leda and the Swan (1530): #F6E8B3 #CCB78D #EEC983 #A38F6B #E2A961 #C58948
  • Nahshon (1511): #766964 #B3A499 #514847 #E3E1DA #44525D #E2744F
  • Manchester Madonna (1494): #F4F4ED #A6A792 #EADCC4 #9C744F #CA9772 #080708
  • Aminadab (1511): #A59184 #806B5D #605044 #312C26 #151615 #8B5B43
  • The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Planets (1511): #E0CFD0 #6D2F38 #B48F90 #8D515A #856964 #583C3E
  • The Creation of Eve (1511): #9E7B5E #735C51 #ABAAA4 #493629 #938278 #D9DBD6
  • The Deluge (1508): #E1BE99 #8B6C4B #CEC5BF #674024 #8F8E8B #BD946E
  • Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz (1508): #CAB5A7 #9F877A #453B35 #73655A #898F86 #AD7758
  • Rehoboam, Abijah (1511): #987A6B #694E40 #D2B9A6 #A55C46 #483327 #F8F5E9
  • The Sacrifice of Noah (1508): #845F4D #3A2825 #B79179 #5E3C31 #221716 #DAB9A7
  • Salmon, Boaz, Obed (1511): #826A68 #745141 #5F4949 #B1978F #42302E #271919
  • The Separation of the Earth and Waters (1511): #A69985 #4F3D2D #7B664E #D4C7B6 #4B2B18 #371C0F
  • Separation of Light from Darkness (1512): #AB8083 #7A373A #915558 #60292B #452429 #D0BCC0
  • Cumaean Sibyl (1511): #937865 #E4D0B5 #291F1D #59463F #C0A992 #6B4232
  • Erythraean Sibyl (1508): #CAB098 #9A7D67 #775A4A #5F3D2E #3B2720 #F3E7DE
  • Libyan Sibyl (1512): #C4B3AA #99847F #78615D #A26952 #553F39 #7B493C
  • Persian Sibyl (1511): #907769 #C7AC9C #6B5246 #4E4035 #EBDBD6 #823F2F
  • The Ancestors of Christ: Josias, Jeconiah and Shealtiel (1508): #A38C7B #66463B #D4C4B9 #806152 #905B42 #372D33
  • The Ancestors of Christ: Hezekiah, Manasseh and Ahaz (1510): #AA8C6B #5D4A3C #806854 #D6BEA5 #452820 #723D2B
  • Ancestors of Christ: David and Solomon (1511): #CBB69E #876F55 #4C3427 #A1723E #7C522E #6A513F
  • The Ancestors of Christ: Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz (1510): #D1C0AE #A99281 #867167 #6B5349 #463736 #282122
  • The Ancestors of Christ: Rehoboam and Abijah (1511): #E3CEAD #BB9879 #7F4F3C #7E3623 #9C7354 #BC7840
  • The Ancestors of Christ: Salmon, Boaz and Obed (1511): #6F5149 #B79D8A #865337 #49322C #2D231F #917462
  • The Ancestors of Christ: Zerubbabel, Abiud and Eliakim (1508): #B9A691 #3A2C2B #947C6A #8D5339 #584542 #735A50
  • Prophet Zechariah (1508): #E1DACF #B4A390 #7A8579 #836F5C #A9B8AE #625346
  • Zerubbabel, Abiud and Eliakim (1508): #B09A8E #8A7264 #745545 #4C3C34 #D5C6BB #F5ECE7
  • Drunkenness of Noah (1509): #B09180 #E1CDC2 #583C38 #331F1F #8E6A5A #784D3F
  • Pietà (1546): #2F211D #130F0E #E0B484 #996D48 #BF905F #784B34

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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