Post-Impressionism · 1885
The Potato Eaters
The Potato Eaters (1885) by Vincent van Gogh. Its palette is led by soot (#10140d, 54%) and very dark muted green (#1f2311, 23%). Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.
Color note
Van Gogh built his color on complementary contrasts, blue against orange and red against green, learned from Delacroix and Japanese prints. Some of his reds were fugitive and have faded, so parts of his paintings are cooler today than he made them.
Palette
- #10140d MG 223 soot 53.9% of canvas
- #1f2311 MG 061 very dark muted green 22.9% of canvas
- #2f331a MG 195 dark olive 12.5% of canvas
- #434527 MG 194 dark golden olive 7.0% of canvas
- #5b5937 MG 193 golden olive 3.7% of canvas
Color families
Black 63%, Brown 23%, Green 14%, Yellow 0%
Measurements
Composition
52% of the visual weight is in the right half, 54% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.67 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 39% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 31% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
Share
Download the pin · Save to Pinterest
More by Vincent van Gogh
- Bedroom in Arles, 1888
- Café Terrace at Night, 1888
- Starry Night Over the Rhone, 1888
- Sunflowers, 1888
- The Night Café, 1888
- The Red Vineyard, 1888
- Irises, 1889
- The Starry Night, 1889
- Wheatfield with Crows, 1890