The Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish Cemetery (1650s) by Jacob van Ruisdael. Its palette is led by bistre (#29231a, 35%) and slate (#4d5c5b, 23%), with accents of light grey, golden olive and white. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color reading

Black and brown cover about two-thirds of the canvas. Its most vivid color, golden olive #877743, takes up just 3% of it.

Palette

#29231a MG 219 bistre 34.6% of canvas
#4d5c5b MG 210 slate 22.9% of canvas
#0c070b MG 224 black 20.3% of canvas
#6d8187 MG 215 grey 11.4% of canvas
#9fb0b6 MG 213 light grey 5.1% of canvas
#877743 MG 192 golden olive 3.1% of canvas
#eff4ed MG 205 white 2.6% of canvas

Color families

Black 40%, Brown 26%, Gray 23%, Blue 5%, Green 3%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.38
Contrast: 0.61
Vividness: 0.020
Warmth: +0.57
Complexity: 193 cells
Hue range: 0.52
Focus: 0.09

Composition

53% of the visual weight is in the left half, 66% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 8% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 34% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1650s
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 142.2 × 189.2 cm
Genre: landscape painting
Collection: Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

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More by Jacob van Ruisdael

A Wooded Marsh, 1665
The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede, 1670