The Ghost of a Flea

The Ghost of a Flea (c. 1819) by William Blake. Its palette is led by graphite (#35312d, 51%) and dark taupe (#493d31, 26%). Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color note

Blake invented his own printing methods: relief etching for his illuminated books, and large color prints pulled from paint on board and finished by hand in watercolor, as in Newton (1795).

Palette

#35312d MG 218 graphite 51.4% of canvas
#493d31 MG 177 dark taupe 26.3% of canvas
#604630 MG 168 dark amber brown 18.6% of canvas
#8e6a3a MG 166 amber brown 3.6% of canvas
#c1b153 MG 037 light amber gold 0.1% of canvas

Color families

Brown 59%, Gray 21%, Black 20%, Yellow 0%, Green 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.35
Contrast: 0.20
Vividness: 0.023
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 22 cells
Hue range: 0.36
Focus: 0.06

Composition

55% of the visual weight is in the left half, 58% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.65 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 47% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 37% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1819
Medium: Tempera and gold on panel
Size: 16.2 × 21.4 cm
Collection: Tate, London

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