Whispering

Whispering (1767) by Suzuki Harunobu. Its palette is led by light sand (#b6a389, 45%) and golden umber (#9d8a6e, 22%), with accents of taupe. Overall the canvas is light, moderately saturated and warm.

Color reading

Brown covers more than nine-tenths of the print. Even its most colorful tone, golden umber #9D8A6E, stays close to gray.

Palette

#b6a389 MG 181 light sand 44.9% of canvas
#9d8a6e MG 182 golden umber 21.6% of canvas
#877562 MG 174 warm grey 14.1% of canvas
#624e45 MG 176 taupe 12.8% of canvas
#d9cdb7 MG 171 bone 6.7% of canvas

Color families

Brown 94%, White 3%, Gray 3%, Green 0%, Orange 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.66
Contrast: 0.40
Vividness: 0.039
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 163 cells
Hue range: 0.21
Focus: 0.01

Composition

58% of the visual weight is in the right half, 52% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.08 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 25% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 33% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1767
Medium: Woodblock print
Genre: ukiyo-e
Made in: Japan
Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

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More by Suzuki Harunobu

Plum Blossoms by a Streem (February), 18th century
By the Sea, 1760s