Fauvism & Expressionism · 1923
The Praying Jew
Still in copyright: the image isn't shown, only the colors measured from it.
The Praying Jew (1923) by Marc Chagall. Its palette is led by charcoal (#252523, 50%) and bone (#c1bfb5, 11%), with accents of putty, golden olive and taupe. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, muted and warm.
Color reading
Black and brown cover about three-quarters of the canvas. Even its most colorful tone, putty #9B9886, stays close to gray.
Palette
- #252523 MG 222 charcoal 49.8% of canvas
- #c1bfb5 MG 171 bone 11.5% of canvas
- #9b9886 MG 173 putty 10.5% of canvas
- #d9d8cb MG 201 parchment 10.0% of canvas
- #6f7064 MG 192 golden olive 9.8% of canvas
- #4b443c MG 176 taupe 8.4% of canvas
Color families
Black 46%, Brown 30%, Gray 15%, White 9%, Green 1%
Measurements
Composition
51% of the visual weight is in the left half, 53% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.54 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 29% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 26% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
More by Marc Chagall
- Birth, 1911
- The Circus Rider, c. 1922–1932
- White Crucifixion, 1938