ColourAngelica Kauffman · 1780

The Allegory of Color

A woman stands within a natural landscape, her body oriented toward a rainbow that arches across the sky. She wears a white dress that falls in heavy folds. In her left hand, she holds a palette containing a single daub of white paint. Her right hand holds a paintbrush, which she extends upward toward the spectrum of light. Her hair is long, thick, and wavy. To the left and right of the central figure, two smaller figures are positioned at the edges of the frame. The background contains a sky filled with various shades of red, yellow, blue, green, and white. The woman's gaze is directed upward, following the line of the rainbow.

Symbolism and Compositional Elements

The painting functions as an allegory of one of the four elements of art, specifically representing the concept of colour. The composition utilizes specific symbols to communicate its subject matter:

• The rainbow, appearing in the background above the figure.
• The palette and brush, held in the subject's hands.
• The single daub of white paint on the palette.

The figure's physical engagement in the act of creation distinguishes this work from other paintings in the series. While the works representing Composition and Invention involve reflection, this figure is actively reaching toward the sky. Kauffmann's use of the rainbow is a departure from traditional iconography, where such elements were frequently used to represent Air rather than colour. The subject's physical form is rendered with a sense of strength, drawing influence from the anatomical examples of the Italian Renaissance.

Historical Context and Technique

Created in 1780, this oil painting belongs to the Neoclassical period. It was part of a commission for the Royal Academy to be displayed on the ceiling of the Council Chamber. The work is one of four paintings produced by Angelica Kauffmann to illustrate the elements of art as defined by Joshua Reynolds in his 1788 lectures. The artist's approach to the female form emphasizes a sense of weight and presence. The light in the scene is used to define the contours of the woman's limbs and the texture of her white garment. The color palette is used to establish the connection between the natural phenomenon of the rainbow and the practical application of pigment on a canvas.