American Modernism · 1931

Cow's Skull with Calico Roses

Georgia O'Keeffe 1887–1986

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

Cow's Skull with Calico Roses (1931) by Georgia O'Keeffe. Its palette is led by bone (#c6bbae, 59%) and light tan (#a99d91, 20%), with accents of dark taupe and amber brown. Overall the canvas is light, muted and warm.

Color reading

Brown covers about three-quarters of the canvas. Even its most colorful tone, amber brown #7A6B5E, stays close to gray.

Palette

#c6bbae MG 171 bone 59.0% of canvas
#a99d91 MG 164 light tan 19.5% of canvas
#e1d9d3 MG 201 parchment 13.7% of canvas
#3c302c MG 177 dark taupe 5.0% of canvas
#7a6b5e MG 166 amber brown 2.8% of canvas

Color families

Brown 76%, Gray 14%, White 10%, Black 0%, Yellow 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.76
Contrast: 0.45
Vividness: 0.020
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 97 cells
Hue range: 0.12
Focus: 0.00

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the right half, 52% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.48 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 52% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 24% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1931
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 91 × 61 cm
Made in: United States
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago