The 1821 Derby at Epsom

The 1821 Derby at Epsom (1821) by Théodore Géricault. Its palette is led by dark slate (#302e2f, 29%) and dark golden umber (#544621, 18%), with accents of grey, pale slate and pale muted golden cream. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color reading

Brown and gray cover about four-fifths of the canvas. Its most vivid color, rich olive #786D28, takes up 12% of it.

Palette

#302e2f MG 211 dark slate 29.3% of canvas
#544621 MG 185 dark golden umber 18.1% of canvas
#4d4d55 MG 217 iron 15.9% of canvas
#817e7c MG 215 grey 15.2% of canvas
#786d28 MG 197 rich olive 11.8% of canvas
#adc1d3 MG 207 pale slate 7.9% of canvas
#e3d8c1 MG 202 pale muted golden cream 1.7% of canvas

Color families

Brown 42%, Gray 39%, Black 10%, Blue 4%, Yellow 3%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.46
Contrast: 0.52
Vividness: 0.034
Warmth: +0.86
Complexity: 109 cells
Hue range: 0.44
Focus: 0.16

Composition

56% of the visual weight is in the right half, 51% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.31 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 48% 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

Date: 1821
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 92.0 × 122.5 cm
Genre: genre art
Collection: Department of Paintings of the Louvre

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More by Théodore Géricault

The Raft of the Medusa, 1819
Portrait of a Kleptomaniac, 1820s