Surrealism · 1937
On the Threshold of Liberty
Still in copyright: the image isn't shown, only the colors measured from it.
On the Threshold of Liberty (1937) by René Magritte. Its palette is led by iron (#4e4945, 32%) and warm grey (#797165, 29%), with accents of light blue, light scarlet orange, lime green and indigo blue. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.
Color reading
Brown and gray cover about three-quarters of the canvas. Its most vivid color, indigo blue #2C6FC0, takes up just 2% of it.
Palette
- #4e4945 MG 217 iron 31.7% of canvas
- #797165 MG 174 warm grey 28.7% of canvas
- #b59d7d MG 181 light sand 18.7% of canvas
- #0e120e MG 223 soot 7.0% of canvas
- #7aa3d8 MG 102 light blue 5.8% of canvas
- #ce802e MG 025 light scarlet orange 4.1% of canvas
- #57723c MG 066 lime green 2.3% of canvas
- #2c6fc0 MG 111 indigo blue 1.8% of canvas
Color families
Brown 43%, Gray 30%, Black 7%, Blue 7%, Orange 6%
Measurements
Composition
57% of the visual weight is in the left half, 51% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 39% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 23% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
More by René Magritte
- The Eye, 1932–1935
- La durée poignardée (Time Transfixed), 1938
- The Banquet, 1958