Over the next couple of months, I would like to clarify and expand on some of the concepts I present in my two books, The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, Volume One and Volume Two. I am already receiving inquiries through my blog’s contact page.
H.G Maratta is the originator of the Full Spectrum Palette that Robert Henri used extensively. Maratta sought to find a correspondence between the light spectrum and artist’s oil paints. The palette follows the light spectrum, laying them out in equal intervals: VR-R-RO-O-OY-Y-YG-G-GB-B-BV-V. Although it is laid out in a linear fashion, it is circular in nature. So once it ends in V, it loops around to the VR to continue its sequence. The goal was to develop an innately harmonious palette. If the artist begins in harmony, he will end in harmony. Maratta, therefore, created his original palette from the foundation of the three primaries, R-Y-B. This means that all 12 intervals contain the same root primaries in varying amounts. For example, RO is mixed from R + O [R+Y]. The primaries R and Y form the root notes for the RO.
In Chapter 5, I explain how to achieve this harmonious Full Spectrum Palette using 3 primaries of equal intensity. For example, I could use Cadmium yellow lemon, Cadmium red medium, and Ultramarine blue. All three of these root notes are highly intense. I could also use Cadmium yellow [W&N], Pyrrole red [Williamsburg], and Indanthene blue. Again, all highly intense. The choice of pigments is in the artist’s hands. You may feel that the pigments you are presently using are already a good selection.
I recommend using root primaries of equal intensity as a starting point. It will allow the artist to see the intervals clearly, as there is a marked difference between the primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries along the Full Spectrum. In Chapter 5, I then elaborate on expanding the palette to include what Maratta referred to as the Hues. This term Hue refers to a color that has been neutralized but still contains an identifiable color, such as blueness. There are six Hues- the primary hues and the secondary hues.
What I show in the book, Volume 2, Image 5-1, is not this highly intense version of the palette. I instead show you one of my favorite palettes that I have used for decades, especially for portrait and figure painting. On page 40, I list the 3 root primaries of R-Y-B. Notice that these primaries are not taken directly from a tubed pigment. I have mixed them and this adds more subtlety and complexity to the palette.
- R- Permanent Madder Deep (PR 264) [I like the Rembrandt version, but there are other brands that are just as good] + English Red [synthetic iron oxide; Williamsburg]
- Y- Cadmium Yellow [W&N] + touch of Viridian [Old Holland, Light version]
- B- Ultramarine Blue [W&N] + Ivory Black [Old Holland]
In this version, I have varied the intensity of the primaries, allowing the Y to be the most intense, followed by R, and then B. The R is slightly reduced in intensity by the synthetic iron oxide [an earth tone], but still pretty intense, and the B contains ivory black, which significantly lowers its saturation and reduces its value. I have created an inherent hierarchy of intensity right at the beginning of building my Full Spectrum Palette. Since my goal was to develop a series of flesh tones, I did not need three highly intense root notes. By lowering the intensity and thereby creating less color contrast between the intervals, I have brought my palette closer to what I would experience in the painting moment. My palette already reflects my painting situation.
Henri speaks of this in The Art Spirit:
“The palette itself already looks like the subject, and the student who having drawn, leaving only the essential lines, the placement, proportions and essential movement of the subject will be able to proceed to lay these colors on the areas for which they are intended with greater attention to their shapes, their drawing power, their fullness and purity as pigments, than would be possible were they mixed in the usual way.” [The Art Spirit, p.35]
Henri creates the framework upon which he builds his image, a simplified and harmonious palette, a highly tuned instrument, sensitive to the artist’s creative engagement with his subject.
Both volumes are currently available on BookBaby, and are in presale at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble for a January 15, 2026 release.
The yellow used in your second palette where you have varied the intensity of the primaries, you state as cad yellow (w&n).with the addition of a touch of viridian. The color on your palette doesn’t look like that result at all, unless W&N’s Cad Yellow is more like an orange yellow? You mention to your readers not to use yellow ochre and I get that. Tubed yellow ochre is disgusting and would never vibrate correctly with the prismatic palette, but it looks clearly like what you have started with is Henri’s yellow ochre-like (hue color) from mixing an orange yellow with the viridian? With your modifications aren’t you essentially using a primary palette that lean more toward the (hues) ?? This would make sense, especially with the idea of portrait painting in mind. Thanks for clarifying for me.
With much respect,
~David
You are correct that the W&N Cad Yellow contains orange hence the combination of this cad yellow + viridian semi-neutralizes the combination. [Orange + Green creates a neutralized yellow hue]. It is still far more intense than using a yellow ochre. When you mix this color, add more viridian than you think. It is the viridian that tends this version of yellow towards an ochre, but as I said with far more intensity. I will email you a photo of this mix that I just created, so you can see it between the viridian and the W&N cad yellow. Remember that every photo is only an approximation of the color as every computer, phone and screen are all slightly different. I hope this helps your investigations.
Thanks so much for this extended info. Question….Gamblin, in their technical section of their website (https://gamblincolors.com/color-temperature-list/), lists the chromatic intensity of each of their colors. Are you suggesting that we could pull colors of equal intensity when creating a palette? For example: Ultramarine Blue, Radiant Red, and Yellow Ochre all have a Chroma of 10 (which I assume is based on Munsell), yet Radiant Red is nowhere near a middle value as a Cad Red would be. So how do you discern the intensity of a color in order to keep the palette balanced?
You want to use pure colors that do not contain any added white. This Radiant Red by Gamblin is neutralized by white, and this is what gives it a lower chroma. I suggest, as a first step, building a relatively high-intensity palette so that the intervals appear very clear. These primaries should have similar intensities, but need not have similar values. In Denman Ross’ The Painter’s Palette, Ross demonstrates that the spectrum palette peaks at yellow because yellow is inherently of a lighter value. So the value of the R-Y-B need not be the same. That being said, even a dark value B can be intense. Phthalo Blue is an example of this. I would not begin with yellow ochre as this earth tone is of a lower intensity. How do you discern the intensity of a color? Denman Ross states, “By intensity, I mean the quality of color at its highest or to a very high degree. By intensity of red, I mean red when it is as red as possible. Intensity must not be confounded with value nor value with intensity.” Attempt to work with as pure a R-Y-B as possible. If your secondary mixes feel saturated, then your primaries are high in intensity. But as you see from my blog post, creating a hierarchy of intensity in the primary root notes opens up other possibilities. In this scenario, the R-Y-B are not balanced by a similar intensity. I have presented both versions to provoke a further investigation by the reader/artist.