Color History of European Paintings

The Rich History of Color in Europe

After the Fall of Rome in 450 CE, Europe plunged into the Dark Ages, experiencing four centuries of cultural and artistic stagnation where classical painting and color development were halted. However, a glorious resurrection happened around the 11th century.

Looking at European art across time, do we see a trend in color use and artistic movement? If so, is this a matter of choice or availability? Let us find out!

How to Read Graph

Red pigment was among the first used in Europe (brought from Asia through trade). Brown, orange, and red colors were common. (1200-1430)

1290

1365

1420

1343

During the Renaissance period, oil painting was established allowing artists more innovation in painting techniques, and as a consequence, subject matter. We see a burst in number of paintings and first signs of green. However, it is not frequently used and red still remains the predominant pigment. (1430-1550)

1469

1515

1526

1536

Entering artistic movements with a focus on nature (ex: Rococo and Romanticism), we see a rise in the use of the green pigment and a lot of creamy green colors. Red continues to overpower because it remains the cheapest and most accessible pigment.(1705-1750) & (1805-1850)

1735, Rococo

1730, Rococo

1842, Romanticism

1818, Romanticism

Although there were signs of blue early on, it only became popular in the 18th century because with increasing technology, it became less expensive.(1890-1920)

1900

1902

1899

1903

The rich color breakdown of the entire collection of European paintings from the Dark Ages to the Modern Art era. Over 2,287 paintings have been analyzed. Although we see interesting transitions of color based on the artistic movement, neutral warm tones are consistently popular. This could be a consequence of accessibilty and taste.

Analysis Takeaways

Red and reddish shades of Brown were among the first colors used in Europe (brought from Asia through trade).
Red continued to remain the most dominant color used throughout the centuries along with Orange . It was cheap and widely accessible.
During the Renaissance period, oil painting was established allowing artists more innovation in painting techniques, and as a consequence, subject matter. We see first signs of Yellow and Green .
Periods with nature-based paintings (ex: Rococo and Romanticism) show predominant use of Green (along with red).
Although there were signs of blue early on, Blue only became popular in the 18th century because before then it was very expensive.

Medieval Gothic : Rise of Red

Renaissance: Getting Greener

Rococo and Romanticism: All About Nature

Modern Art: Blue is the Warmest Color

European Art: The Colorwheel Across Time