The Madonna in the Church

The Madonna in the Church (1440) by Jan van Eyck. Its palette is led by soot (#0e090b, 36%) and bistre (#392320, 35%), with accents of amber brown and light orange. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color note

Van Eyck is often credited with inventing oil paint; he didn't, but he perfected layering it in thin, translucent glazes. That is how his deep greens and jewel-like reds were built up.

Palette

#0e090b MG 223 soot 36.0% of canvas
#392320 MG 219 bistre 35.4% of canvas
#624034 MG 155 dark reddish brown 11.1% of canvas
#8a6448 MG 166 amber brown 7.2% of canvas
#ba8d5d MG 029 light orange 6.1% of canvas
#000000 MG 224 black 4.2% of canvas

Color families

Black 50%, Brown 47%, Orange 2%, Yellow 1%, White 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.28
Contrast: 0.52
Vividness: 0.022
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 160 cells
Hue range: 0.40
Focus: 0.12

Composition

54% of the visual weight is in the right half, 74% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.04 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 31% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 25% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1440
Medium: Oil on oak panel
Size: 31.0 × 14.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Berlin

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