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…

Peter Paul Rubens

Rubens commanded the most expansive palette of the Baroque: carmine flesh, ultramarine skies, and passages of molten gold. His color is inseparable from the energy of his brushwork.

Palette: #846742 #55381F #C2A06F #130E0D #6D3D1B #885626 #AE6E32 #701E13

  • The Three Graces (1630): #E9D8BF #9D8155 #493B25 #6C5430 #C9AF8A #2F281C
  • The Garden of Love (1630): #695A42 #938565 #504339 #050A2E #2E2235 #70818B
  • Diana and Her Nymphs Departing for the Hunt (ca. 1615): #6D4B31 #B0B0B0 #B69079 #432A1B #2B1D16 #E0C8B9
  • Atalanta and Meleager (ca. 1616): #35271F #BB9B7F #1E1916 #584738 #583326 #9B7254
  • Portrait of a Man, Possibly an Architect or Geographer (1597): #121106 #060602 #9B6F38 #9F9178 #694710 #32260C
  • The Triumph of Henry IV (ca. 1630): #92784B #745429 #553A20 #3C2A1C #643F1C #281E17
  • Helena Fourment (1614-1673), and Their Son Frans (ca. 1635): #1C1917 #463E2A #322C21 #635A42 #907D5C #394F52
  • Portrait of a Woman, Probably Susanna Lunden (Susanna Fourment, 1599-1628) (ca. 1625-27): #17130F #2F281C #B49676 #513D29 #251C11 #71553C
  • Venus and Adonis (1630): #603E13 #A68F5C #BB7E36 #422912 #895416 #E8BB6F
  • Study of Two Heads (ca. 1609): #202217 #3E3928 #7D5D37 #675F47 #0B160F #948665
  • The Holy Family with Saints Francis and Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist (1630): #21190F #392A19 #120E0A #524D39 #634628 #7F6242
  • The Coronation of the Virgin (ca. 1632-33): #937136 #7B5322 #3A2B1F #85764F #56442B #65301A
  • Portrait of Isabella Brant (ca. 1620-25): #2F2A20 #151511 #A18D70 #736049 #514433
  • Study for "the Bear Hunt" (for the Alcázar, Madrid) (ca. 1639): #806136 #A68859 #614324 #857255 #5E503B #462E1A
  • The Triumph of the Church (after 1628): #402F1F #8E8E72 #9A7246 #694427 #514833 #2A251A
  • Four Studies of a Male Head (ca. 1617-20): #A78B53 #755929 #331F0E #50330E #1C150B #7F560C
  • The Fall of the Damned (1621): #C1A069 #3B2F1D #9B713E #745330 #574028 #92885E
  • The Tiger Hunt (1617): #0F0B0C #896228 #596665 #5E2D16 #4D190E #6C4621
  • Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower (1609): #292419 #3F271C #463624 #6F4F34 #15130D #B2946E
  • Minerva Protects Pax from Mars (1629): #2F1E12 #201A14 #684021 #4C351F #AE8F6B #3B1D0C
  • The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (1618): #292216 #6A492C #AF9872 #453725 #8A897B #8A714D
  • Head of Medusa (1618): #301908 #937E59 #200D04 #483119 #685233 #B6A889
  • The Great Last Judgement (1617): #BCA67F #95927F #7A694B #3D423B #70766A #251D16
  • Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry, 14 March (1627): #9E9894 #3C3632 #816449 #422817 #74675F #1B1614
  • Hercules and Omphale (1602): #19120C #3E372C #826037 #57361C #AE956B #615744
  • Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides (1638): #493124 #74563B #30201A #9E805B #C6AD85 #221714
  • Portrait of Helena Fourment with Two of Her Children (1636): #BEB482 #816F43 #A79359 #3F3324 #8B642C #DED9B4
  • Hélène Fourment with Her Son Frans (1635): #453E35 #1A1616 #787168 #5E4330 #291B15 #3C2317
  • Feasting and Dancing Peasants (1635): #554324 #38301E #221D14 #6D6851 #83898A #AAA9A2
  • Theodosius and Saint Ambrose (1617): #857D71 #110E0C #935E20 #3D352A #7C5B37 #B0884D
  • The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt (1615): #16110F #46362A #5F4430 #2C2B2B #4B4C49 #302117
  • Madonna of the Basket (1615): #130B0C #CBAA61 #A4792E #5F3F1D #301D15 #82531A
  • The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (1615): #5E5839 #3A3D2E #232522 #745225 #E5E3D7 #9A7946
  • Perseus and Andromeda (1622): #211615 #F6E7C2 #442F27 #9F7C5B #6C5241 #D8B085
  • The Rape of Ganymede (1637): #54616B #D8C9B6 #1C1610 #533D25 #7E6A52 #0D0B0C
  • The Disembarkation at Marseilles (1622): #64422D #A3A091 #7C796D #C49F78 #8F6C4D #36281E
  • The Four Philosophers (1611): #080506 #894A18 #89120D #613517 #671615 #39150F
  • The Fall of Man (1628): #312719 #B48E64 #4B3A25 #5D3B23 #7B715A #8B5D38
  • Self-Portrait in a Circle of Friends in Mantua (1602): #221B11 #3E2F1C #683F1E #C7965B #675438 #AE713C
  • The Battle of the Amazons (1618): #352A21 #BEA770 #695234 #A07F48 #8B7F5C #63604F
  • Deianira Listens to Fame (1638): #3E281B #604229 #251814 #886C49 #B2966D #D9C49A
  • Diana and Callisto (1635): #2B271B #9B8A68 #5C4C2D #141614 #D2C7A6 #433118
  • Two Satyrs (1618): #110E0F #CA9A67 #755840 #33241D #4C3B30 #A2744B
  • Resurrection (1616): #14100C #635137 #EBD28C #B1A172 #E6E4B5 #D0A862
  • The Peasants Returning from the Fields (1640): #0A080D #6A5F53 #937654 #46362E #634229 #B39A71
  • Equestrian Portrait of Giancarlo Doria (1606): #231C19 #393229 #120D0F #7B5E3B #493520 #C19B6D
  • Marchesa Maria Grimaldi, and Her Dwarf (1606): #0A080C #5B3B19 #8A5D30 #43270F #B18959 #E0C193
  • Ildefonso Altarpiece (1630): #745D3D #A48D67 #946330 #1D140B #4F3115 #66401C
  • Hero and Leander (1604): #21170E #382A17 #5D4A2C #8E7448 #462C12 #2C1704
  • The Dance of the Villagers (1630): #393221 #8A673A #614622 #C99C66 #463117 #5A573F
  • Saturn (1637): #1C1C18 #363229 #584029 #5C5A4A #8C6742 #BF9B71
  • Daniel in the Lions' Den (1615): #1C1A13 #4A2E18 #7A4A12 #2E1F13 #8C6C3E #9D7020
  • The Death of Adonis (1614): #1F1B15 #C1A781 #3D2E1D #9E7F5D #67482B #6B7776
  • Roman Charity (1612): #281D18 #110E10 #9B6E36 #4B3624 #643E1D #4B2612
  • Crown of Thorns (1612): #1E1C1A #ECC086 #680E18 #D1924F #502D1F #87121B
  • The Four Continents (1615): #B99150 #8B8466 #0B0D09 #C7B28E #896429 #6F481D
  • The Meeting of David and Abigail (1630): #9E7E4F #8C7E62 #61492C #4A392A #7F5A31 #312925
  • The Fall of Phaeton (1605): #2A241E #42372D #928268 #55534B #58341F #84603E
  • The Dying Seneca (1612): #261717 #C5A266 #5A2716 #3B1813 #79481F #12090B
  • Mercury and Argus (1635): #312314 #4A3717 #715826 #DBCE71 #DFBD4D #B69844
  • The Rape of Europa (1628): #BAB2A5 #817D70 #A99474 #423F29 #626D7F #7D6E4A
  • The Feast of Venus (1636): #513712 #795F34 #A98D63 #3A250B #CEB692 #2E1303
  • Massacre of the Innocents (1611): #251E18 #8C7E5E #392718 #655A42 #543E28 #423C2D
  • Angelica and the Hermit (1620): #231A11 #E4A66F #402A18 #BB7644 #53120E #681C14
  • St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy (1620): #24272C #414A4A #6F6C53 #37291C #CFD2BB #5F2312
  • Prometheus Bound (1610): #261E12 #100F0B #C5834C #6B5B3B #3B2A19 #50311A
  • Virgin and Child, with Alexander Goubau, (1540-1614): Grand Aumonier of Antwerpen (1604): #1D1512 #ADA1A5 #E0B299 #706163 #905843 #3F3231
  • Leda and the Swan (1601): #2E1A1C #DBB396 #703E2F #513836 #F7DEC3 #46211D
  • Venus and Cupid (1608): #161A19 #323123 #BAA06B #3E291A #604323 #DECF9C
  • Nymphs Filling the Horn of Plenty (1615): #1B140A #412512 #B7997F #826343 #251309 #2C2A17
  • Helena Fourment with a Carriage (1639): #18191A #544029 #382B20 #826847 #302B26 #B8A080
  • The Judgement of Paris (1630): #4D3E26 #2A2317 #7F6A4A #A3957F #CBC5B5 #656259
  • The Judgment of Paris (1633): #312717 #4E3F21 #B59864 #745C30 #1D160D #5C3F1A
  • The Conversion of Saint Bavo (1624): #6E664F #3A3324 #211E17 #8A673A #412E18 #504936
  • The Triumph of the Church (1625): #BFAE9B #4D4036 #9A8367 #7C6246 #8A8881 #6F675B
  • Saint Teresa of Ávila's Vision of the Holy Spirit (1614): #211914 #AA9B7D #7C6B52 #3C3024 #4F483A #64492F
  • The Sense of Sight (1617): #343429 #535347 #6F5A3E #483B26 #99896E #72746A
  • A Forest at Dawn with a Deer Hunt (ca. 1635): #261C13 #3F2D19 #5A4122 #705C38 #564D34 #19120F
  • Wolf and Fox Hunt (ca. 1616): #3B342A #968365 #55422D #6F6047 #85887C #26231F
  • The Feast of Acheloüs (ca. 1615): #271C09 #54390A #40300B #6F470D #C5A074 #A1804B
  • The Glorification of the Eucharist (ca. 1630-32): #866E45 #6B502B #533416 #4B3921 #686652 #332617
  • Saint Teresa of Avila Interceding for Souls in Purgatory: #4B331D #957C58 #725234 #7D7B64 #59513F #39352E
  • The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth, Saint John, and a Dove (ca. 1608): #462F1F #28211B #AA8A66 #785030 #1A282D #5B271D

The Palette

The Works

How the palette changed

Chromatic Comparison

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