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

Man with a Pen Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Man with a Pen by Jonas Welch Holman, 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 Light Ochre on most walls, use Warm Umber for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Green to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Jonas Welch Holman
Date: 1827–30
Movement: 19th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 55

Man with a Pen by Jonas Welch Holman — Jonas Welch Holman, *Man with a Pen*, 1827–30. 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.

Soft Black

#171616 · 32.4% · LRV 1

Warm Umber

#876B4F · 21.2% · LRV 16

Deep Umber

#4F3628 · 20.7% · LRV 5

Deep Green

#5B6E33 · 13.4% · LRV 14

Light Ochre

#E5BC9E · 8.7% · LRV 55

Warm Yellow

#9D9A25 · 3.6% · LRV 30

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.

Man with a Pen reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Yellow is strongest — Warm 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
Soft Black `#171616`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 770F-7 Beluga Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Umber `#876B4F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6110 Steady Brown Very close Behr 250F-6 Pepper Spice Very close Valspar 3004-9A Muddy Mississippi Very close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	16	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Umber `#4F3628`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast Very close Behr 770B-7 Chocolate Sparkle Close Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	5	Wood and frames
Deep Green `#5B6E33`	Behr S370-7 Outdoor Oasis Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6727 Houseplant Close Valspar 6010-8 French Olive Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	14	One bold piece
Light Ochre `#E5BC9E`	Valspar 2005-6A Antelope Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6345 Sumptuous Peach Very close Behr HDC-CT-04 Chic Peach Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Close	55	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#9D9A25`	Behr 390D-6 Spring Moss Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6712 Luau Green Close Valspar 6007-6C Crushed Oregano Similar	30	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 light ochre 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#CBB4A6

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

South-facing room#EBC5A5

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)#C49D78

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 Umber 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.

Light Ochre

Warm Umber

Deep 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

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Cigar Making in Seville Ricard Canals y Llambí, 1899

Seventeenth-Century Interior Charles Gifford Dyer, 1877

FAQ

What colors are in Man with a Pen?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#171616, 32.4% of the canvas), Warm Umber (#876B4F, 21.2% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#4F3628, 20.7% of the canvas), Deep Green (#5B6E33, 13.4% of the canvas), Light Ochre (#E5BC9E, 8.7% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#9D9A25, 3.6% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 55, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

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.