Historic Color Study - Will Barnet's Woman on Stairs

Will Barnet
Woman on Stairs
1982
Oil Pastel, Gouache and Graphite on Paper
20th Century Painting

The assignment was to pick a Historic piece of art - and then to recreate it in 5 color palettes: 

1. Original Palette 
2. Complimentary Palette - colors directly opposite each other in the color spectrum, such as red and green or blue and orange, that when combined in the right proportions, produce white light.
3. Analagous Palette - Analogous colors are groups of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, sharing a common color, with one being the dominant color, which tends to be a primary or secondary color, and a tertiary.
4. Primary Palette - Red, Yellow and Blue 
5. Monochromatic Palette - One color using its tints and shades to achieve different values.

My first step with this assignment was to sketch out the composition, and then make 5 copies to ensure that each color had similar visual "bones".

I first attempted to use the artists medium choice. However, initially, I could not figure out how he completed the composition. Out of frustration, I stopped trying to slavishly recreate his method, and chose to use Prismacolor Colored Pencils to complete the assignment. 

While working on these studies in colored pencil, I finally (after completing 4 of the 5) realized how Barnett completed the work.

ORIGINAL PALETTE

COMPLEMENTARY PALETTE 

(Yellow and Purple)

ANALOGOUS COLOR PALETTE
(Red, Purple, Blue)

PRIMARY COLOR PALETTE
(Red, Blue and Yellow)

MONOCHROMATIC COLOR PALETTE
(Shades/Tints of Gray)