Fauvism & Expressionism · c. 1922–1932

The Circus Rider

Marc Chagall 1887–1985

Still in copyright: the image isn't shown, only the colors measured from it.

The Circus Rider (c. 1922–1932) by Marc Chagall. Its palette is led by dark muted blue (#1f3748, 35%) and slate (#475c5d, 21%), with accents of dark crimson sienna, rich sienna, pigeon grey and pale grey. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and cool.

Color reading

Blue and gray cover about four-fifths of the canvas. Its most vivid color, dark blue #063A78, takes up 11% of it.

Palette

#1f3748 MG 099 dark muted blue 34.6% of canvas
#475c5d MG 210 slate 20.9% of canvas
#063a78 MG 107 dark blue 10.8% of canvas
#165486 MG 106 blue 10.3% of canvas
#513b40 MG 144 dark crimson sienna 8.0% of canvas
#8b3c3b MG 147 rich sienna 7.4% of canvas
#8ea1a0 MG 208 pigeon grey 6.9% of canvas
#cdcfc7 MG 212 pale grey 1.1% of canvas

Color families

Blue 55%, Gray 24%, Brown 11%, Red 5%, Green 2%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.41
Contrast: 0.34
Vividness: 0.052
Warmth: -0.60
Complexity: 160 cells
Hue range: 0.58
Focus: 0.00

Composition

53% of the visual weight is in the right half, 52% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.22 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 11% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 32% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1922–1932
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 23 × 18 cm
Made in: France
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago