John A. Parks (1952–)Self Portrait, 2013, Oil on Linen, 18 × 14 in (45.7 × 35.6 cm)
A LIMITED COLOR RANGE YIELDS EXPRESSIVE POSSIBILITIES
Limiting the color range within a painting can allow the creation of a work that has a distinctive identity, look, or atmosphere. By forcing a constrained range of color to create a fully rendered world, the painter can often create striking and sometimes highly emotive effects.
Limiting the color range within a work does not preclude representational or realist approaches. Creating an illusion requires that color relationships displayed in the world are transferred to the canvas. These relationships can be maintained even when the range of colors is restricted. Thus if we were to paint only with reds, we would be able to decide which was the yellowest red and even which was the greenest red. We could then construct an image that intimated the entire color world. But the result would be curious and perhaps evocative.
Many artists have limited their palettes in order to achieve a certain look and feel in the final image. Rembrandt painted with a palette limited to browns and blacks with an earthy yellow. This guaranteed warm harmony in the work and a kind of earthy stability that reinforced the sense of solidity and thoughtfulness in his painting. Similarly, the English artist Gwen John (1876–1939) worked with a palette of ochres and siennas, with just the occasional use of blue. The resultant generally warm harmonies give a sense of quiet and reflective calm to the work.
Perhaps the most extreme example of a limited palette is that of the Swedish painter Anders Zorn (1860–1920), who used only four colors: cadmium red medium, yellow ochre, ivory black, and white. Nonetheless, he succeeded in creating a very full impression of the world, while sustaining a somewhat cool and clear feel to the light.
See also: Color as Light on page 38; Color Theory on page 42; Restraint on page 156
John A. Parks (1952–)
Self Portrait, 2013, Oil on Linen, 18 × 14 in (45.7 × 35.6 cm)
Computer adjusted color limits show some of the expressive possibilities inherent in limiting color within an image.
The Zorn Palette
The entire palette is mixed from three colors and white. (Chart by Michael Lynn Adams)
Anders Zorn (1860–1920)
Omnibus, 1891–2, Oil on canvas, 39 1/8 × 26 in (99.5 × 66 cm)
