Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) by Caspar David Friedrich. Its palette is led by pigeon grey (#9c9eaa, 31%) and bistre (#2c251b, 28%), with accents of dark grey. Overall the canvas is light, muted and balanced between warm and cool.

Color note

Friedrich built his landscapes from restrained, cool harmonies of greys, blues and muted greens, often at dawn, dusk or by moonlight. Color in his work carries mood rather than decoration.

Palette

#9c9eaa MG 208 pigeon grey 31.2% of canvas
#2c251b MG 219 bistre 28.5% of canvas
#c8c5c6 MG 212 pale grey 21.2% of canvas
#7f8692 MG 095 muted azure blue 12.3% of canvas
#595e60 MG 216 dark grey 6.7% of canvas

Color families

Gray 61%, Black 23%, Brown 10%, Blue 5%, White 1%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.58
Contrast: 0.58
Vividness: 0.015
Warmth: +0.07
Complexity: 133 cells
Hue range: 0.56
Focus: 0.00

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the left half, 75% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.77 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 54% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 23% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1818
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 67.0 × 74.8 cm
Genre: landscape painting
Made in: Germany
Collection: Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg

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