Romanticism · 1820s

Portrait of a Kleptomaniac

Théodore Géricault 1791–1824

Portrait of a Kleptomaniac (1820s) by Théodore Géricault. Its palette is led by charcoal (#1d1d19, 70%) and bistre (#312c1d, 20%), with accents of golden umber. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color reading

Black covers about four-fifths of the canvas. Its most vivid color, rich orange ochre #88653A, takes up just 4% of it.

Palette

• #1d1d19 MG 222 charcoal 70.3% of canvas
• #312c1d MG 219 bistre 20.4% of canvas
• #68502e MG 184 umber 4.7% of canvas
• #88653a MG 178 rich orange ochre 3.7% of canvas
• #a2936f MG 182 golden umber 0.9% of canvas

Color families

Black 80%, Brown 20%, Gray 1%, Orange 0%, Yellow 0%

Measurements

Lightness

0.27

Contrast

0.28

Vividness

0.012

Warmth

+1.00

Complexity

49 cells

Hue range

0.14

Focus

0.49

Composition

62% of the visual weight is in the left half, 74% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.55 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 82% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 14% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date

1820s

Medium

Oil on canvas

Size

61.2 × 50.2 cm

Genre

portrait

Collection

Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK), Ghent

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More by Théodore Géricault

• The Raft of the Medusa, 1819
• The 1821 Derby at Epsom, 1821