Realism · 1849–1850

A Burial at Ornans

A Burial at Ornans (1849–1850) by Gustave Courbet. Its palette is led by charcoal (#252427, 46%) and golden olive (#635c49, 17%), with accents of pale golden sand. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, muted and warm.

Color reading

Brown and black cover about nine-tenths of the canvas. Even its most colorful tone, pale golden sand #C9C1A1, stays close to gray.

Palette

#252427 MG 222 charcoal 45.5% of canvas
#635c49 MG 193 golden olive 17.4% of canvas
#91876b MG 182 golden umber 16.9% of canvas
#4a4438 MG 185 dark golden umber 16.1% of canvas
#c9c1a1 MG 189 pale golden sand 4.2% of canvas

Color families

Brown 53%, Black 39%, Gray 8%, Green 0%, White 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.41
Contrast: 0.46
Vividness: 0.020
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 151 cells
Hue range: 0.34
Focus: 0.00

Composition

56% of the visual weight is in the left half, 62% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 25% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 29% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1849–1850
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 315.0 × 668.0 cm
Genre: genre art
Collection: Musée d'Orsay, Paris

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