Cubism & Early Abstraction · 1920

Angelus Novus

Paul Klee 1879–1940

Angelus Novus (1920) by Paul Klee. Its palette is led by pale sand (#d3c29e, 42%) and light amber (#bf9868, 32%), with accents of rich scarlet brown and soot. Overall the canvas is light, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

After a trip to Tunisia in 1914, Klee wrote in his diary: “Color and I are one. I am a painter.” He later taught color theory at the Bauhaus.

Palette

#d3c29e MG 180 pale sand 41.6% of canvas
#bf9868 MG 033 light amber 32.2% of canvas
#966e44 MG 166 amber brown 10.5% of canvas
#383937 MG 218 graphite 9.2% of canvas
#6e4d2f MG 162 rich scarlet brown 3.8% of canvas
#161010 MG 223 soot 2.6% of canvas

Color families

Brown 57%, Yellow 17%, Orange 12%, Gray 6%, Black 4%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.68
Contrast: 0.53
Vividness: 0.058
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 145 cells
Hue range: 0.11
Focus: 0.00

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the left half, 55% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.76 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 36% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 33% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1920
Medium: India ink and oil and watercolor on paper
Size: 31.8 × 24.2 cm
Collection: Israel Museum, Jerusalem

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