The Elevation of the Cross

The Elevation of the Cross (1609) by Peter Paul Rubens. Its palette is led by bistre (#241e19, 57%) and dark taupe (#3e362c, 17%), with accents of putty. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color note

Rubens painted luminous flesh by laying thin, warm glazes over light grounds so the ground glows through. At the French Academy around 1700, the “Rubénistes” made him their model in the argument that color matters more than drawing.

Palette

#241e19 MG 219 bistre 56.5% of canvas
#3e362c MG 177 dark taupe 16.8% of canvas
#68553f MG 167 brown 12.1% of canvas
#554535 MG 168 dark amber brown 8.8% of canvas
#a69676 MG 173 putty 5.7% of canvas

Color families

Black 55%, Brown 38%, Gray 7%, Yellow 0%, White 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.32
Contrast: 0.38
Vividness: 0.019
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 183 cells
Hue range: 0.36
Focus: 0.07

Composition

58% of the visual weight is in the right half, 51% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.23 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 24% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 29% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1609
Medium: Oil on oakwood and panel
Size: 460.0 × 640.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp

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More by Peter Paul Rubens

Samson and Delilah, c. 1609
The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus, 1618
The Three Graces, 1630s