Fauvism & Expressionism · 1911

Yellow Cow

Franz Marc 1880–1916

Yellow Cow (1911) by Franz Marc. Its palette is led by warm black (#0c0903, 16%) and light gold (#be9610, 16%), with accents of amber, dark rich brown, olive and pale yellow. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, vivid and warm.

Color note

Marc gave colors meanings: in a 1910 letter to August Macke he called blue the masculine, spiritual principle, yellow the feminine and gentle one, and red heavy, brutal matter.

Palette

#0c0903 MG 220 warm black 16.5% of canvas
#be9610 MG 038 light gold 16.2% of canvas
#201c0e MG 196 very dark olive 15.7% of canvas
#a16f1a MG 034 amber 14.3% of canvas
#9a3a17 MG 019 scarlet red 12.6% of canvas
#642712 MG 160 dark rich brown 11.4% of canvas
#4e5416 MG 046 olive 10.8% of canvas
#d3cd98 MG 042 pale yellow 2.6% of canvas

Color families

Brown 34%, Black 23%, Yellow 22%, Red 8%, Green 7%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.42
Contrast: 0.62
Vividness: 0.075
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 238 cells
Hue range: 0.57
Focus: 0.11

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the right half, 50% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.45 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 5% 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

Date: 1911
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 140.5 × 189.2 cm
Genre: animal art
Collection: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City

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