Abstract Expressionism & Color Field · 1949
Number 19
Still in copyright: the image isn't shown, only the colors measured from it.
Number 19 (1949) by Mark Rothko. Its palette is led by scarlet (#c17250, 40%) and light scarlet (#ca8f7a, 26%), with accents of grey, rich orange brown and iron. Overall the canvas is light, vivid and warm.
Color note
Rothko built his fields of color from thin, layered washes, so the edges blur and the color seems to glow from within. He wanted viewers to stand close, surrounded by the color.
Palette
- #c17250 MG 024 scarlet 40.1% of canvas
- #ca8f7a MG 023 light scarlet 26.5% of canvas
- #b89155 MG 033 light amber 17.3% of canvas
- #89827f MG 215 grey 11.2% of canvas
- #8b5c4b MG 158 rich orange brown 4.0% of canvas
- #584a50 MG 217 iron 0.9% of canvas
Color families
Orange 42%, Brown 23%, Yellow 16%, Gray 10%, Red 9%
Measurements
Composition
54% of the visual weight is in the right half, 55% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 80% 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
More by Mark Rothko
- Untitled (Painting), 1953–1954
- Untitled (Purple, White, and Red), 1953