Newton

Newton (1795) by William Blake. Its palette is led by charcoal (#1e2531, 30%) and graphite (#324349, 20%), with accents of golden olive. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, muted and warm.

Color note

Blake invented his own printing methods: relief etching for his illuminated books, and large color prints pulled from paint on board and finished by hand in watercolor, as in Newton (1795).

Palette

#1e2531 MG 222 charcoal 29.6% of canvas
#324349 MG 218 graphite 20.3% of canvas
#91886a MG 191 golden olive 18.3% of canvas
#53574e MG 217 iron 17.1% of canvas
#ddc6a9 MG 171 bone 14.8% of canvas

Color families

Brown 31%, Gray 31%, Black 13%, Blue 12%, White 6%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.47
Contrast: 0.62
Vividness: 0.027
Warmth: +0.64
Complexity: 235 cells
Hue range: 0.58
Focus: 0.18

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the right half, 64% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 27% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 32% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1795
Size: 46.0 × 60.0 cm
Genre: portrait
Collection: Tate, London

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