The Art of Painting

The Art of Painting (c. 1667) by Johannes Vermeer. Its palette is led by bistre (#2d251c, 52%) and dark amber brown (#57462f, 20%), with accents of ivory. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, muted and warm.

Color note

Vermeer used natural ultramarine, ground from lapis lazuli and one of the most expensive pigments of his day, far more freely than his contemporaries, even in shadows and underlayers. Cool ultramarine against warm lead-tin yellow is his signature pairing.

Palette

#2d251c MG 219 bistre 52.5% of canvas
#57462f MG 168 dark amber brown 19.6% of canvas
#79684e MG 175 stone 18.1% of canvas
#a79579 MG 173 putty 7.9% of canvas
#f3e9d6 MG 200 ivory 1.8% of canvas

Color families

Brown 57%, Black 32%, Gray 8%, White 1%, Yellow 1%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.39
Contrast: 0.46
Vividness: 0.027
Warmth: +0.98
Complexity: 166 cells
Hue range: 0.17
Focus: 0.12

Composition

55% of the visual weight is in the right half, 60% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.35 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 20% 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: c. 1667
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 120.0 × 100.0 cm
Genre: genre art
Collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

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