The Starry Night

The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh. Its palette is led by muted azure blue (#597698, 26%) and charcoal (#1b1e1d, 19%), with accents of dark blue, graphite, golden olive and light gold. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and cool.

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

#597698 MG 096 muted azure blue 26.0% of canvas
#1b1e1d MG 222 charcoal 18.8% of canvas
#2a3c81 MG 107 dark blue 17.4% of canvas
#36403f MG 218 graphite 13.3% of canvas
#748c9b MG 095 muted azure blue 12.8% of canvas
#a6af97 MG 172 oatmeal 8.2% of canvas
#8c915a MG 191 golden olive 2.3% of canvas
#b6a436 MG 038 light gold 1.2% of canvas

Color families

Blue 55%, Gray 17%, Black 15%, Green 5%, Brown 5%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.47
Contrast: 0.51
Vividness: 0.051
Warmth: -0.88
Complexity: 232 cells
Hue range: 0.43
Focus: 0.07

Composition

56% of the visual weight is in the right half, 62% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.43 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 3% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 39% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1889
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 73.7 × 92.1 cm
Genre: landscape painting
Made in: France
Collection: Museum of Modern Art, New York City

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