Ida Reading a Letter

Vilhelm Hammershøi 1864–1916

Ida Reading a Letter (1899) by Vilhelm Hammershøi. Its palette is led by oatmeal (#bbb1a6, 32%) and graphite (#44413c, 26%), with accents of warm grey and soot. Overall the canvas is light, muted and warm.

Color note

Hammershøi painted quiet Copenhagen interiors in a narrow range of greys, whites and muted browns, often with a single figure seen from behind.

Palette

#bbb1a6 MG 172 oatmeal 31.6% of canvas
#44413c MG 218 graphite 25.9% of canvas
#a3998f MG 173 putty 17.2% of canvas
#7c726b MG 174 warm grey 9.9% of canvas
#151412 MG 223 soot 9.1% of canvas
#dcd2c7 MG 201 parchment 6.2% of canvas

Color families

Brown 63%, Gray 22%, Black 10%, White 4%, Red 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.59
Contrast: 0.62
Vividness: 0.015
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 130 cells
Hue range: 0.08
Focus: 0.04

Composition

50% of the visual weight is in the left half, 60% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.03 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 52% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 25% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1899
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 66.0 × 59.0 cm
Made in: Denmark
Collection: private collection

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More by Vilhelm Hammershøi

Amalienborg Square, Copenhagen, 1896
Dust Motes Dancing in Sunbeams, 1900
Interior with an Easel, Bredgade 25, 1912