Agony in the Garden

Agony in the Garden (18th century) by William Blake. Its palette is led by dark slate (#2d302e, 33%) and charcoal (#1f1f1e, 30%). Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color note

Blake invented his own printing methods: relief etching for his illuminated books, and large color prints pulled from paint on board and finished by hand in watercolor, as in Newton (1795).

Palette

#2d302e MG 211 dark slate 33.3% of canvas
#1f1f1e MG 222 charcoal 29.9% of canvas
#474038 MG 177 dark taupe 20.5% of canvas
#755d47 MG 167 brown 10.4% of canvas
#9a7f5b MG 182 golden umber 6.0% of canvas

Color families

Black 41%, Brown 32%, Gray 25%, Yellow 1%, Green 1%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.34
Contrast: 0.35
Vividness: 0.017
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 82 cells
Hue range: 0.30
Focus: 0.21

Composition

56% of the visual weight is in the left half, 56% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.58 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 37% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 31% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 18th century
Medium: Tempera and iron
Size: 27.0 × 38.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: Tate, London

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