The Disrobing of Christ

El Greco 1541–1614

The Disrobing of Christ (c. 1578) by El Greco. Its palette is led by bistre (#251c18, 25%) and dark taupe (#3b3026, 20%), with accents of brown, amber brown, light amber and scarlet red. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

Trained as an icon painter in Crete and then in Venice, El Greco kept the Venetian love of strong color but pushed it toward cold, acid tones: sharp yellows, greens and pinks against stormy greys.

Palette

#251c18 MG 219 bistre 24.8% of canvas
#3b3026 MG 177 dark taupe 19.9% of canvas
#6c4e36 MG 167 brown 16.6% of canvas
#2f3f47 MG 218 graphite 10.0% of canvas
#908278 MG 165 amber brown 9.1% of canvas
#bf9957 MG 033 light amber 7.7% of canvas
#4f1217 MG 149 very dark rich sienna 7.4% of canvas
#b12e3f MG 019 scarlet red 4.6% of canvas

Color families

Brown 45%, Black 23%, Gray 14%, Red 7%, Yellow 4%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.39
Contrast: 0.51
Vividness: 0.039
Warmth: +0.90
Complexity: 235 cells
Hue range: 0.54
Focus: 0.29

Composition

53% of the visual weight is in the left half, 61% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.49 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 2% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 36% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1578
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 285.0 × 173.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: Toledo Cathedral, Toledo

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More by El Greco

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, 1586
View of Toledo, 1596
Opening of the Fifth Seal, 1610