Baroque · 1620s
Massacre of the Innocents
Massacre of the Innocents (1620s) by Nicolas Poussin. Its palette is led by dark umber (#352b1d, 30%) and dark reddish brown (#553827, 26%), with accents of brown, muted azure blue, light orange and rich orange brown. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.
Color note
Poussin was the model for the other side of the French Academy's great quarrel around 1700: the “Poussinistes” held that drawing matters more than color.
Palette
- #352b1d MG 186 dark umber 29.9% of canvas
- #553827 MG 155 dark reddish brown 26.4% of canvas
- #755b41 MG 167 brown 11.6% of canvas
- #84a9de MG 101 light indigo blue 8.3% of canvas
- #dad0cc MG 206 silver 8.1% of canvas
- #828f9c MG 095 muted azure blue 7.4% of canvas
- #b68e66 MG 029 light orange 5.7% of canvas
- #a7562c MG 158 rich orange brown 2.7% of canvas
Color families
Brown 63%, Blue 11%, Black 11%, Gray 9%, White 2%
Measurements
Composition
58% of the visual weight is in the right half, 57% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.18 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 30% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 26% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
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