Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Paul Gauguin 1848–1903

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (c. 1897) by Paul Gauguin. Its palette is led by taupe (#514743, 24%) and dark muted blue (#1c3f51, 23%), with accents of gold, dark green, light grey and pale gold. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and balanced between warm and cool.

Color note

Gauguin painted in flat areas of bold, unnatural color, often ringed with dark outlines, choosing color for feeling and symbol rather than description.

Palette

#514743 MG 176 taupe 24.3% of canvas
#1c3f51 MG 099 dark muted blue 22.9% of canvas
#406163 MG 083 muted teal 20.1% of canvas
#172935 MG 222 charcoal 17.4% of canvas
#a5853b MG 039 gold 8.9% of canvas
#114a32 MG 068 dark green 2.7% of canvas
#b6a8a6 MG 213 light grey 2.3% of canvas
#dbc169 MG 036 pale gold 1.4% of canvas

Color families

Blue 32%, Gray 30%, Brown 22%, Black 6%, Yellow 6%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.41
Contrast: 0.38
Vividness: 0.040
Warmth: -0.12
Complexity: 169 cells
Hue range: 0.73
Focus: 0.00

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the right half, 54% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.07 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 2% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 38% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1897
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 139.1 × 374.6 cm
Genre: genre art
Collection: Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston

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