Symbolism & Aestheticism · 1907

Danaë

Gustav Klimt 1862–1918

Danaë (1907) by Gustav Klimt. Its palette is led by amber brown (#a07f5f, 40%) and soot (#1f1415, 26%), with accents of light amber gold. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

In his “golden phase” Klimt applied real gold leaf, inspired by the Byzantine mosaics he saw in Ravenna in 1903. The Kiss and the portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer are its best-known works.

Palette

#a07f5f MG 165 amber brown 40.2% of canvas
#1f1415 MG 223 soot 26.0% of canvas
#6c382b MG 155 dark reddish brown 18.8% of canvas
#492d29 MG 145 dark sienna 9.2% of canvas
#cbb27c MG 037 light amber gold 5.8% of canvas

Color families

Brown 74%, Black 15%, Orange 5%, Yellow 5%, Red 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.46
Contrast: 0.51
Vividness: 0.048
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 148 cells
Hue range: 0.35
Focus: 0.11

Composition

62% of the visual weight is in the left half, 61% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 40% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 28% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1907
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 77.0 × 83.0 cm
Genre: mythological painting
Collection: Leopold Museum, Vienna

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