19th-Century Realism & Tonalism
1850–1910Observation over invention. Corot's silver light, Whistler's nocturnes, Homer's Atlantic, Sargent's bravura — truth through paint.
Plein air and studio. New pigments (cobalt, viridian, zinc white). Photography influencing composition and tonality.
Gustave Courbet
1819–1877French
Father of Realism. Painted life-size peasants — only what the eye can see.
Palette knife as much as brush. Earthy, material palette — stone, flesh, soil.
Further reading: Courbet (Taschen Basic Art) — Fabrice MasanèsOrnans limestone
Grey limestone of Jura cliffs.
Material: Lead white, lamp black, raw umber — knife
RGB(138, 138, 128)
Burial earth
Dark earth of Burial at Ornans.
Material: Burnt umber, bone black, bitumen
RGB(44, 34, 24)
Palette knife flesh
Thick tactile flesh — you feel the body's weight.
Material: Lead white, yellow ochre, vermilion — knife
RGB(208, 168, 128)
Franche-Comté green
Dark forest green of home landscape.
Material: Viridian, yellow ochre, lamp black
RGB(59, 90, 42)
Channel wave
Dark blue-green of Channel seascapes.
Material: Prussian blue, viridian, lead white
RGB(58, 90, 106)
Hunter's coat
Warm red-brown of hunting scenes.
Material: Red ochre, burnt sienna, vermilion
RGB(139, 42, 26)
Pigments: Umber · Lead white · Lamp black · Bitumen · Bone black · Vermilion · Ochre · Viridian · Prussian blue · Sienna
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
1796–1875French
Painter of silver mist and trembling leaves. Bridge between classical landscape and Impressionism.
Distinctive silver-green palette. Feathery foliage technique. Morning and twilight light.
Further reading: Corot — Gary Tinterow, Michael Pantazzi, Vincent PomarèdeSilver mist
The characteristic silver-grey haze of Corot's landscapes.
Material: Lead white, lamp black, terre verte
RGB(168, 168, 152)
Feathered green
Soft grey-green of trembling foliage.
Material: Terre verte, viridian, lead white
RGB(90, 122, 74)
Dawn pink
Soft pink of early morning sky.
Material: Vermilion, lead white, yellow ochre
RGB(200, 168, 160)
Lake reflection
Cool blue of water reflecting sky.
Material: Cobalt blue, lead white, lamp black
RGB(90, 122, 138)
Trunk brown
Dark brown of tree trunks and earth.
Material: Raw umber, burnt sienna, lamp black
RGB(92, 74, 48)
Figure accent red
Small red accent on a distant figure — Corot's signature spark.
Material: Vermilion, cadmium red
RGB(169, 64, 48)
Pigments: Green earth · Lead white · Lamp black · Viridian · Vermilion · Ochre · Cobalt blue · Umber · Sienna
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
1834–1903American
Art for art's sake. Nocturnes, arrangements, symphonies — painting as music. Sued Ruskin and won.
Extremely thin paint, often wiped down. Tonal rather than coloristic. Japanese influence in composition.
Further reading: James McNeill Whistler: Beyond the Myth — Ronald Anderson and Anne KovalNocturne blue-black
The blue-black of Thames nocturnes.
Material: Prussian blue, lamp black, thin washes
RGB(26, 42, 58)
Falling rocket gold
Sparks of gold in the Nocturne in Black and Gold.
Material: Gold paint, cadmium yellow, flicked
RGB(201, 168, 64)
Mother's grey
The grey wall in Arrangement in Grey and Black.
Material: Lamp black, lead white, thin washes
RGB(107, 106, 104)
Whistler flesh
Pale, refined flesh — aristocratic.
Material: Lead white, yellow ochre, vermilion, thin
RGB(208, 184, 152)
Butterfly mark
The dark of Whistler's butterfly signature mark.
Material: Ivory black
RGB(42, 42, 40)
Thames grey
Cool grey of the Thames at dusk.
Material: Lead white, Prussian blue, lamp black
RGB(122, 138, 138)
Pigments: Prussian blue · Lamp black · Cadmium yellow · Gold leaf · Lead white · Vermilion · Ochre · Bone black
John Singer Sargent
1856–1925American
Greatest society portraitist of the Gilded Age. Madame X scandal. Bravura brushwork rivaling Velázquez.
Alla prima technique — single session, wet-into-wet. Could model an ear in a single loaded brushstroke.
Further reading: John Singer Sargent — Carter RatcliffEvening dress black
Rich black of formal evening wear — Madame X.
Material: Ivory black, bone black
RGB(12, 10, 8)
Virtuoso flesh
Luminous society flesh — captured in a single loaded stroke.
Material: Lead white, vermilion, yellow ochre, alla prima
RGB(216, 176, 144)
Silk shimmer
White silk catching light — signature Sargent subject.
Material: Lead white, zinc white, thick impasto
RGB(229, 216, 200)
Carnation pink
The pink of carnations, lilies, and blushing cheeks.
Material: Alizarin crimson, lead white, cadmium red
RGB(216, 144, 144)
Venetian shadow
Warm shadow in the Velázquez tradition.
Material: Raw umber, burnt umber, lamp black
RGB(77, 58, 42)
Landscape green
Vivid green of garden and landscape watercolors.
Material: Viridian, cadmium yellow
RGB(60, 106, 58)
Pigments: Bone black · Vermilion · Ochre · Lead white · Zinc white · Alizarin crimson · Cadmium red · Umber · Lamp black · Cadmium yellow · Viridian
Winslow Homer
1836–1910American
Painter of the Atlantic — crashing waves, fishermen, survival. The most powerful seascapes in American art.
Late marine paintings use a limited palette of deep blue-greens, foam white, and rock grey. Watercolors from the tropics are brilliantly saturated.
Further reading: Winslow Homer: An American Vision — Randall C. GriffinAtlantic blue
Deep blue of the cold North Atlantic.
Material: Prussian blue, ultramarine, lead white
RGB(26, 58, 90)
Crashing foam
White spray of waves hitting rock.
Material: Lead white, zinc white, thick impasto
RGB(225, 224, 216)
Maine granite
Grey of Prout's Neck granite.
Material: Lamp black, lead white, raw umber
RGB(106, 106, 96)
Bahamas turquoise
Brilliant turquoise of Caribbean watercolors.
Material: Watercolor: cerulean blue, viridian
RGB(42, 138, 154)
Storm wave green
Dark green of translucent wave crests.
Material: Viridian, Prussian blue, lead white
RGB(43, 90, 74)
Oilskin yellow
Yellow of fishermen's waterproof coats.
Material: Chrome yellow, cadmium yellow, raw sienna
RGB(201, 160, 64)
Pigments: Ultramarine · Prussian blue · Lead white · Zinc white · Umber · Lamp black · Cerulean blue · Viridian · Chrome yellow · Cadmium yellow · Sienna
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