The Astronomer

The Astronomer (1664) by Johannes Vermeer. Its palette is led by very dark olive (#1d1b10, 62%) and dark olive (#312d14, 25%). Overall the canvas is dark, 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

#1d1b10 MG 196 very dark olive 61.9% of canvas
#312d14 MG 195 dark olive 25.2% of canvas
#5c5b3c MG 193 golden olive 5.8% of canvas
#443e20 MG 177 dark taupe 4.2% of canvas
#514c2c MG 194 dark golden olive 3.0% of canvas

Color families

Black 57%, Brown 40%, Yellow 1%, Green 1%, Gray 1%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.27
Contrast: 0.28
Vividness: 0.018
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 91 cells
Hue range: 0.17
Focus: 0.12

Composition

54% of the visual weight is in the left half, 58% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 66% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 17% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1664
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 50.8 × 46.3 cm
Genre: genre art
Collection: Department of Paintings of the Louvre

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