Hylas and the Nymphs

John William Waterhouse 1849–1917

Hylas and the Nymphs (1896) by John William Waterhouse. Its palette is led by very dark sienna (#261620, 43%) and dark taupe (#4a3932, 27%), with accents of pale tan and light grey. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color reading

Brown and black cover about three-quarters of the canvas. Its most vivid color, pale tan #DFB47F, takes up just 5% of it.

Palette

#261620 MG 146 very dark sienna 43.5% of canvas
#4a3932 MG 177 dark taupe 27.2% of canvas
#735b44 MG 167 brown 15.8% of canvas
#dfb47f MG 163 pale tan 4.8% of canvas
#f7f0dc MG 200 ivory 4.7% of canvas
#ab9fa5 MG 213 light grey 4.0% of canvas

Color families

Brown 48%, Black 28%, Gray 6%, White 5%, Red 3%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.38
Contrast: 0.70
Vividness: 0.033
Warmth: +0.97
Complexity: 196 cells
Hue range: 0.62
Focus: 0.13

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the right half, 60% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.54 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 6% 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: 1896
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 132.1 × 197.5 cm
Genre: mythological painting
Collection: Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester

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More by John William Waterhouse

The Lady of Shalott, 1888
Echo and Narcissus, 1903