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…

Morris Louis

Louis poured thinned acrylic paint down raw canvas in rivulets that never mixed. His Veils and Unfurleds are pure color — translucent washes without gesture.

Palette: #7A6E57 #423625 #6C5230 #E2BC64 #DED9CF #976A40 #954739 #AF9A55

  • Tiger in Repose (ca. 1850-65): #3D2515 #765633 #5A3F24 #28130A #4B2411 #6D5E41
  • Large Lion (early 1830s): #453825 #302B25 #655030 #8C7A62 #5A503F #997647
  • Tiger at Rest (ca. 1830s-1840s): #A48E5D #B1AA93 #6D6441 #8F6934 #7E7A65 #6E5129
  • Tiger Walking (1850s): #B9A88D #877358 #5C4D40 #705032 #42352F #4F3423
  • Tiger at Rest (mid 19th century): #27221C #4A4333 #3D3021 #604D2F #8D693D #161514
  • Boa [Python] Devouring a Doe (19th century): #E1C37F #C7A35A #9C7837 #704D20
  • Python Crushing a Gnu (ca. 1850s-1860s): #373026 #514634 #675937 #22211E #8B7D55
  • Tiger Asleep (ca. 1850s-1860s): #32271C #211615 #494231 #645B41 #8F825B #442E17
  • Interior, St. Etienne du Mont, Paris (n.d.): #7E6B55 #5C4B3D #A99980 #423837 #4D3221 #251A1C
  • Three Figures Dressed for a Masquerade (c. 1740s): #221B18 #676767 #484847 #3B231C #958C7E #BBAF9E
  • Partition (1962): #DFD0AA #495034 #58352F #30353B #357B40 #DEE13F
  • Vav (1960): #8D4B3C #FAE8CC #FAC994 #F88150 #7E5345 #D94F3B
  • Phi (1960): #DCDAD2 #5266B8 #6A5F7B #084C4F #3855B5 #E6BD3B

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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