Baroque · 1594–1665 · French
Nicolas Poussin
Poussin was the model for the other side of the French Academy's great quarrel around 1700: the “Poussinistes” held that drawing matters more than color.
Across 3 works, the colors are mostly brown (56%), blue (14%) and black (13%). On average the canvases are mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm. Signature colors, used far more here than across the collection: light indigo blue, light indigo blue, light blue, dark umber and dark brown.
Color print
The swatches covering most of these canvases, averaged over every work, dark to light.
- MG 219 bistre 12.0% of canvas
- MG 177 dark taupe 8.9% of canvas
- MG 169 dark brown 7.3% of canvas
- MG 186 dark umber 6.1% of canvas
- MG 155 dark reddish brown 5.2% of canvas
- MG 102 light blue 3.8% of canvas
- MG 168 dark amber brown 3.7% of canvas
- MG 094 light muted blue 2.5% of canvas
- MG 176 taupe 2.4% of canvas
- MG 222 charcoal 2.3% of canvas
- MG 159 rich brown 2.2% of canvas
- MG 101 light indigo blue 2.1% of canvas
- MG 195 dark olive 2.1% of canvas
- MG 170 very dark brown 2.1% of canvas
- MG 098 dark muted azure blue 2.0% of canvas
- MG 210 slate 2.0% of canvas
Measurements
Composition
Averaged over 3 works: 51% of the visual weight in the left half, 56% in the upper half; symmetry 0.19; 19% calm space; half of the detail in 28% of the canvas. Measured from each image, not a rule the painters followed.