Baroque · c. 1609
Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah (c. 1609) by Peter Paul Rubens. Its palette is led by dark reddish brown (#432e24, 59%) and reddish brown (#724b33, 18%), with accents of light orange and pale tan. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.
Color note
Rubens painted luminous flesh by laying thin, warm glazes over light grounds so the ground glows through. At the French Academy around 1700, the “Rubénistes” made him their model in the argument that color matters more than drawing.
Palette
- #432e24 MG 156 dark reddish brown 59.5% of canvas
- #724b33 MG 154 reddish brown 17.7% of canvas
- #6c1f21 MG 148 dark rich sienna 8.6% of canvas
- #94684c MG 153 reddish brown 7.7% of canvas
- #bd8f6a MG 029 light orange 4.5% of canvas
- #dcbca3 MG 163 pale tan 2.1% of canvas
Color families
Brown 79%, Black 11%, Red 4%, Orange 4%, Gray 2%
Measurements
Composition
65% of the visual weight is in the left half, 57% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 31% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 29% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
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