Mannerism · 1596
View of Toledo
View of Toledo (1596) by El Greco. Its palette is led by dark muted lime green (#394a42, 47%) and charcoal (#202721, 31%), with accents of black and pewter. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and cool.
Color note
Trained as an icon painter in Crete and then in Venice, El Greco kept the Venetian love of strong color but pushed it toward cold, acid tones: sharp yellows, greens and pinks against stormy greys.
Palette
- #394a42 MG 059 dark muted lime green 46.6% of canvas
- #202721 MG 222 charcoal 30.6% of canvas
- #506363 MG 083 muted teal 12.6% of canvas
- #5f643e MG 193 golden olive 4.9% of canvas
- #000000 MG 224 black 3.1% of canvas
- #929591 MG 214 pewter 2.2% of canvas
Color families
Gray 33%, Green 20%, Black 18%, Brown 16%, Blue 13%
Measurements
Composition
56% of the visual weight is in the right half, 51% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.12 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 30% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 35% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
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More by El Greco
- The Disrobing of Christ, c. 1578
- The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, 1586
- Opening of the Fifth Seal, 1610