19th-century American painting · art-to-room palette

View of Cotopaxi Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from View of Cotopaxi by Frederic Edwin Church, with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Pale Grey on most walls, use Light Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Yellow to one bold piece. Deep Olive suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Frederic Edwin Church
Date: 1857
Movement: 19th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

View of Cotopaxi by Frederic Edwin Church — Frederic Edwin Church, *View of Cotopaxi*, 1857. The Art Institute of Chicago, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Pale Grey

#CFDAD2 · 33.1% · LRV 68

Deep Umber

#584F39 · 28.4% · LRV 8

Warm Yellow

#A88C6F · 19.9% · LRV 28

Deep Olive

#6B5C40 · 13.5% · LRV 11

Light Yellow

#DFBE9D · 3.7% · LRV 55

Deep Yellow

#9E8446 · 1.5% · LRV 24

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

View of Cotopaxi reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Pale Grey is strongest — Pale Grey

Detail of the painting where Deep Umber is strongest — Deep Umber

Detail of the painting where Warm Yellow is strongest — Warm Yellow

Detail of the painting where Deep Olive is strongest — Deep Olive

Detail of the painting where Light Yellow is strongest — Light Yellow

Detail of the painting where Deep Yellow is strongest — Deep Yellow

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Pale Grey `#CFDAD2`	Behr MQ3-21 Breezeway Very close Valspar 5003-3A Sage Bud Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6210 Window Pane Very close Farrow & Ball No. 204 Pale Powder Close	68	Main walls
Deep Umber `#584F39`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6160 Best Bronze Close Behr N220-7 Cavalry Brown Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	8	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Yellow `#A88C6F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9108 Double Latte Near-identical Behr HDC-NT-28 Soft Bronze Very close Valspar 3004-9C River Oak Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	28	One bold piece
Deep Olive `#6B5C40`	Behr N260-7 Folk Guitar Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Valspar 6008-2C Prairie Foliage Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	11	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#DFBE9D`	Behr S260-3 Dusty Gold Very close Valspar 3002-8A Sun Tan Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6114 Bagel Very close Farrow & Ball No. 213 Savage Ground Close	55	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Yellow `#9E8446`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6410 Brassy Near-identical Behr UL180-3 Madagascar Very close Valspar 3008-7A Grecian Olive Close	24	One small textile

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How pale grey looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#BDC8C7

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#DADDCE

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B7AE96

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes Deep Olive and the rug border takes Deep Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Pale Grey

Light Yellow

Warm Yellow

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

Classic House Color Combinations: Four Exterior Schemes House exterior · Traditional

Neutral Exterior Paint Color Schemes for Four House Styles House exterior · Neutral

Earth Tone House Color Schemes with Trim and Door Colors House exterior · Earthy

More palettes like this

Woman with a Green Book (Louisa Gallond Cook) Erastus Salisbury Field, 1838

A Marine George Inness, c. 1874–75

Landscape, Sunset George Inness, 1887–89

FAQ

What colors are in View of Cotopaxi?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Pale Grey (#CFDAD2, 33.1% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#584F39, 28.4% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#A88C6F, 19.9% of the canvas), Deep Olive (#6B5C40, 13.5% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#DFBE9D, 3.7% of the canvas), Deep Yellow (#9E8446, 1.5% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 68% of the light that hits it (LRV 68), so it keeps a small room bright. Keep the darkest colors to one piece of furniture or a textile.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Art Institute of Chicago releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.