Rokeby Venus

Rokeby Venus (1644) by Diego Velázquez. Its palette is led by dark taupe (#37342c, 28%) and bistre (#25201a, 18%), with accents of dark crimson sienna and bone. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

Velázquez worked from a restrained palette of earth colors, lead white, vermilion and blacks, and was admired for his silvery greys. Manet, who studied him in Madrid, called him the painter of painters.

Palette

#37342c MG 177 dark taupe 28.4% of canvas
#693533 MG 144 dark crimson sienna 19.8% of canvas
#25201a MG 219 bistre 18.4% of canvas
#9e907b MG 173 putty 15.9% of canvas
#736555 MG 175 stone 15.2% of canvas
#c8c5af MG 171 bone 2.2% of canvas

Color families

Brown 60%, Black 18%, Gray 16%, Red 6%, White 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.42
Contrast: 0.46
Vividness: 0.031
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 148 cells
Hue range: 0.46
Focus: 0.11

Composition

58% of the visual weight is in the left half, 56% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 28% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 30% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1644
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 122.5 × 175.0 cm
Genre: nude
Collection: National Gallery, London

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