Fauvism & Expressionism · 1911

Birth

Marc Chagall 1887–1985

Still in copyright: the image isn't shown, only the colors measured from it.

Birth (1911) by Marc Chagall. Its palette is led by bistre (#322a23, 33%) and dark muted lime green (#384529, 17%), with accents of muted blue, rich orange ochre, light grey and crimson. Overall the canvas is dark, moderately saturated and balanced between warm and cool.

Color reading

Brown, blue and black cover nearly three-quarters of the canvas. Its most vivid color, crimson #85343A, takes up just 4% of it.

Palette

#322a23 MG 219 bistre 32.7% of canvas
#384529 MG 059 dark muted lime green 17.0% of canvas
#593423 MG 155 dark reddish brown 15.3% of canvas
#36677f MG 097 muted blue 10.5% of canvas
#1d2f43 MG 099 dark muted blue 9.6% of canvas
#866433 MG 178 rich orange ochre 7.3% of canvas
#96a5a7 MG 213 light grey 4.0% of canvas
#85343a MG 007 crimson 3.6% of canvas

Color families

Brown 37%, Blue 18%, Black 18%, Green 14%, Gray 10%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.38
Contrast: 0.34
Vividness: 0.041
Warmth: +0.28
Complexity: 154 cells
Hue range: 0.76
Focus: 0.06

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the right half, 56% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.04 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 7% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 36% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1911
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 113 × 195 cm
Made in: France
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago