Cubism & Early Abstraction · 1881–1973 · Spanish

Pablo Picasso

Picasso's early periods are named after colors: the Blue Period (1901–04), which followed a close friend's suicide, and the warmer Rose Period (1904–06). In Analytic Cubism (1909–12) he and Braque cut color back to near-monochrome browns and greys to concentrate on form.

Across 6 works, the colors are mostly brown (44%), gray (27%) and blue (10%). On average the canvases are mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm. Signature colors, used far more here than across the collection: crimson purple, purplish violet, lime green, reddish brown and dark muted azure teal.

Color print

The swatches covering most of these canvases, averaged over every work, dark to light.

• MG 154 reddish brown 6.1% of canvas
• MG 218 graphite 6.1% of canvas
• MG 176 taupe 5.9% of canvas
• MG 211 dark slate 5.8% of canvas
• MG 084 dark muted azure teal 5.7% of canvas
• MG 215 grey 5.0% of canvas
• MG 153 reddish brown 4.2% of canvas
• MG 175 stone 4.0% of canvas
• MG 174 warm grey 3.6% of canvas
• MG 216 dark grey 3.2% of canvas
• MG 222 charcoal 3.2% of canvas
• MG 217 iron 3.0% of canvas
• MG 177 dark taupe 2.9% of canvas
• MG 083 muted teal 2.8% of canvas
• MG 172 oatmeal 2.8% of canvas
• MG 066 lime green 2.6% of canvas

Measurements

Lightness

0.52

Contrast

0.42

Vividness

0.041

Warmth

+0.40

Complexity

135 cells

Hue range

0.35

Focus

0.05

Works

• The Old Guitarist, 1903–1904
• Nude with a Pitcher, 1906
• Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910
• Man with a Pipe, 1915
• Mother and Child, 1921
• The Red Armchair, 1931