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

The Hidden Brook Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Hidden Brook by Gustave Courbet, 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 Green on most walls, use Light Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Soft Green to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Gustave Courbet
Date: ca. 1873–77
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 71

The Hidden Brook by Gustave Courbet — Gustave Courbet, *The Hidden Brook*, ca. 1873–77. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.

Shadow Green

#414639 · 36.3% · LRV 6

Ink Grey

#33312F · 32.8% · LRV 3

Soft Green

#6D6C53 · 22.6% · LRV 15

Warm Yellow

#A18E67 · 4.1% · LRV 28

Pale Green

#BCE5CA · 2.6% · LRV 71

Light Yellow

#CBAE8A · 1.6% · LRV 45

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.

The Hidden Brook reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Shadow Green is strongest — Shadow Green

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

Detail of the painting where Soft Green is strongest — Soft Green

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

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

Detail of the painting where Light Yellow is strongest — Light 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
Shadow Green `#414639`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7749 Laurel Woods Very close Behr N360-7 Potting Soil Very close Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Close Farrow & Ball No. 93 Studio Green Similar	6	Small accents, art, accessories
Ink Grey `#33312F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6991 Black Magic Very close Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Very close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Close Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Green `#6D6C53`	Valspar 6001-4C Tarragon Very close Behr 710D-6 Butternut Wood Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6180 Oakmoss Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Close	15	One bold piece
Warm Yellow `#A18E67`	Valspar 6008-4B Caraway Shield Very close Behr N260-5 Distant Land Close Sherwin-Williams SW 2842 Roycroft Suede Close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	28	One small textile
Pale Green `#BCE5CA`	Valspar 6002-9B Beach Blanket Very close Behr S420-2 Moon Glass Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6744 Reclining Green Close	71	Main walls
Light Yellow `#CBAE8A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7694 Dromedary Camel Near-identical Behr PPU7-20 Raffia Ribbon Near-identical Valspar 3004-10A Leatherbound Very close Farrow & Ball No. 6 London Stone Similar	45	Bed, sofa, curtains

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 green 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#B1CEC1

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

South-facing room#CBE5C8

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)#ACB591

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 a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Warm Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Green

Light Yellow

Soft Green

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

Rustic Bedroom Colors Rustic style

More palettes like this

Fan Mount: The Ballet Edgar Degas, 1879

Rocks at Fontainebleau Paul Cézanne, 1890s

An Egyptian Peasant Woman and Her Child Léon Bonnat, 1869–70

FAQ

What colors are in The Hidden Brook?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Shadow Green (#414639, 36.3% of the canvas), Ink Grey (#33312F, 32.8% of the canvas), Soft Green (#6D6C53, 22.6% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#A18E67, 4.1% of the canvas), Pale Green (#BCE5CA, 2.6% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#CBAE8A, 1.6% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 71% of the light that hits it (LRV 71), 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 Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.