Paintings for Charcoal Walls

Dramatic and forgiving: paintings glow against it.

Charcoal #3A3D40

Light, luminous works contrast; dark tonal landscapes echo and disappear, so frame them in pale wood. A pale mat, 3 in (8 cm) or wider, gives any painting a lit edge against a wall this dark.

Bright works that glow 267
Warm palettes 1,211
Cool palettes 12

Scene on the Mersey, James McNeill Whistler 36 × 48 in portrait print (91 × 122 cm), centered 67¼ in from the floor, 8 in above the sofa. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

Wall color

Default greige

Bright works that glow

The lightest paintings, brightest first: on a dark wall they read like a lit window. The strongest 24 of 267.

Scene on the Mersey, James McNeill Whistler, 1869, watercolor and gouache on white wove paper

James McNeill Whistler Scene on the Mersey, 1869 The Met

A square white tile, rotated 90 degrees, crossed by black lines intersecting at 90-degree angles. A few of the shapes thus formed—some partial squares, some rectangles—are colored in a single shade of yellow, blue, black, or red.

Piet Mondrian Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray, 1921 Art Institute of Chicago

Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album), Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1848, graphite, white gouache, and watercolor on dark buff-colored wove paper

Jasper Francis Cropsey Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album), 1848 The Met

Abstract line composition of black lines at right angles forming quadrants including a gray square at upper left and a gray rectangle and red rectangle at lower right, against a white background.

Piet Mondrian Composition (No. 1) Gray-Red, 1935 Art Institute of Chicago

Through a golden haze and across an expanse of gently rippling water dotted with boats, ghostly ivory and parchment-white buildings rise along a distant shore in this loosely painted horizontal landscape.

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 1843 National Gallery of Art

Sunset at Sea, John Singer Sargent, 1905–6 (?) or 1905–?6, watercolor and gouache on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Sunset at Sea, 1905–6 (?) or 1905–?6 The Met

Two creamy-white, long-haired dogs facing our right in a snowy field fill this horizontal painting. The scene is painted with visible, textured strokes in shades of white and ice blue. The dogs have floppy ears and long muzzles.

Franz Marc Siberian Dogs in the Snow, 1909/1910 National Gallery of Art

Child with Blond Hair, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1895/1900, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Child with Blond Hair, 1895/1900 National Gallery of Art

A few pale brown buildings with terracotta red roofs are nestled among hills at the base of a towering, icy-blue mountain in this horizontal landscape painting.

Paul Cézanne Montagne Sainte-Victoire, from near Gardanne, c. 1887 National Gallery of Art

From Ávila, John Singer Sargent, ca. 1903, watercolor and gouache on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent From Ávila, ca. 1903 The Met

A man and woman stand in a sunny field near a line of cone-shaped haystacks under a massive blue sky in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes throughout.

Camille Pissarro Landscape, Ile-de-France, 1873 National Gallery of Art

We look across a river at a long, flat bridge that runs parallel to a hazy, city skyline in the distance in this horizontal painting.

Camille Pissarro Charing Cross Bridge, London, 1890 National Gallery of Art

Winter landscape painting with rocky stream lined by orange leafed trees.

John Henry Twachtman Icebound, c. 1889 Art Institute of Chicago

In shades of mint, laurel, and eucalyptus green, the head and shoulders of a chubby baby fill this vertical portrait painting.

Vincent van Gogh Roulin's Baby, 1888 National Gallery of Art

Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue, Piet Mondrian, 1927, oil on canvas

Piet Mondrian Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue, 1927 Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting shows a cluster of trees against a bright sky in shades of pale yellow and pale seafoam green. Closest to us, a green-gray path stretches horizontally next to tall teal and blue grasses.

Julian Alden Weir Moonlight, c. 1905 National Gallery of Art

Two ships and two sailboats, all with full sails, float on a gently rippling body of water in front of a pale pastel-shaded sky in this horizontal painting.

Fitz Henry Lane Becalmed off Halfway Rock, 1860 National Gallery of Art

Painted entirely with small dots of pure color mostly in slate and azure blue, olive green, and cream white, this scene shows a sandy beach stretching to a lighthouse at the center and a four-story building to our right in this horizontal…

Georges Seurat The Lighthouse at Honfleur, 1886 National Gallery of Art

The Calm Sea, Gustave Courbet, 1869, oil on canvas

Gustave Courbet The Calm Sea, 1869 The Met

We look up at the exterior of a church that soars the height of this vertical painting.

Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, Sunlight, 1894 National Gallery of Art

Pillars of the Country, Yao Shou, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 1494, handscroll; ink and color on paper

Yao Shou Pillars of the Country, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 1494 Art Institute of Chicago

A dirt path winds through a field of gold-green grass back to a town built on low hills in this horizontal, densely hazy landscape painting. Several minuscule people walk on the path and at least one person rides a horse.

Sanford Robinson Gifford Siout, Egypt, 1874 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a maritime scene from the water, with a coastline in the distance marked by small, colorful buildings and distant green hills.

A. Hashagen Ship "Arkansas" Leaving Havana, 1847 National Gallery of Art

Niagara Falls in Winter, Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1868, oil on canvas

Jasper Francis Cropsey Niagara Falls in Winter, 1868 Art Institute of Chicago

Warm palettes

Golds, reds and browns. The ones that differ most from the wall in lightness come first, because they stand out best. Showing 1 to 48 of 1,211.

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 1843 National Gallery of Art

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Child with Blond Hair, 1895/1900 National Gallery of Art

Paul Cézanne Montagne Sainte-Victoire, from near Gardanne, c. 1887 National Gallery of Art

Fitz Henry Lane Becalmed off Halfway Rock, 1860 National Gallery of Art

Gustave Courbet The Calm Sea, 1869 The Met

Yao Shou Pillars of the Country, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 1494 Art Institute of Chicago

Sanford Robinson Gifford Siout, Egypt, 1874 National Gallery of Art

Jasper Francis Cropsey Niagara Falls in Winter, 1868 Art Institute of Chicago

Sunset, John Singer Sargent, 1905–6, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Sunset, 1905–6 The Met

This painting depicts a scene overlooking a calm body of water. A large sailing ship with two tall masts and a dark hull is anchored on the water, its sails tied up. On the left, there are two people in a small, dark rowboat.

Eugène Boudin Ship on the Touques, c. 1888/1895 National Gallery of Art

Butter-yellow clouds and water, a periwinkle-blue sky, and pale plum-purple buildings blend in hazy, indistinct bands across this horizontal landscape painting.

Joseph Mallord William Turner Approach to Venice, 1844 National Gallery of Art

Long scroll drawing, upper half is script; lower half depicts people in courtyard.

Ike Taiga Group Pilgrimage to the Jizo Nun, 1755/65 Art Institute of Chicago

Matsuchiyama on the Sumida River, Utagawa Hiroshige, Edo period, 1856, hanging scroll; Ink and color on silk

Utagawa Hiroshige Matsuchiyama on the Sumida River, Edo period, 1856 Art Institute of Chicago

Cows Crossing a Ford, Jules Dupré, 1836, oil on canvas

Jules Dupré Cows Crossing a Ford, 1836 The Met

This painting depicts a game being played on a grassy field. The game is taking place in the central green lawn, with buildings in the distance surrounded by trees.

Camille Pissarro Hampton Court Green, 1891 National Gallery of Art

Joseph Rodefer DeCamp The Seamstress, 1916 National Gallery of Art

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, George Caleb Bingham, 1845, oil on canvas

George Caleb Bingham Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, 1845 The Met

Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, James McNeill Whistler, 1885, gouache and watercolor on off-white wove paper, mounted on academy board

James McNeill Whistler Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, 1885 The Met

Pushing for Rail, Thomas Eakins, 1874, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Pushing for Rail, 1874 The Met

We look slightly down onto a panorama with dozens of pale-skinned men, women, and children skating and standing on a frozen river in this horizontal landscape painting.

Hendrick Avercamp A Scene on the Ice, c. 1625 National Gallery of Art

Madame Edmond Cavé (Marie-Elisabeth Blavot, ca. 1806–1883), Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, ca. 1831–34, oil on canvas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Madame Edmond Cavé (Marie-Elisabeth Blavot, ca. 1806–1883), ca. 1831–34 The Met

We look across a body of calm water onto a wooden pier, rowboats, sailboats, and a town on the distant shore, all beneath a cloudy sky that takes up the top three-quarters of this horizontal landscape.

Aelbert Cuyp A Pier Overlooking Dordrecht, early 1640s National Gallery of Art

This painting image depicts a cherubic child in a garden setting. The child is standing with one foot in front of the other and has small wings on their back.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Love the Sentinel, c. 1773/1776 National Gallery of Art

A balding man with peach-colored skin and a drooping white mustache is surrounded by flowers floating in a blue sky with apricot-colored clouds in this vertical painting. He is shown from the waist up facing us at the bottom center.

Odilon Redon Evocation of Roussel, c. 1912 National Gallery of Art

This oval painting shows a cherubic figure floating in mid-air with one leg bent and arms outstretched. The cherub has curly hair, a round face, and rosy cheeks, and they are smiling gently.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Love as Folly, c. 1773/1776 National Gallery of Art

Jeanne Hébuterne, Amedeo Modigliani, 1919, oil on canvas

Amedeo Modigliani Jeanne Hébuterne, 1919 The Met

This is a painting of a seaside scene with people sitting on a sandy beach. In the center is a group of three women and one child. The women wear high-necked dresses and tall hats in shades of red, yellow, and pink.

Eugène Boudin On the Beach, Trouville, 1887 National Gallery of Art

The painting shows a large bronze vase filled with a bouquet of wildflowers, including white daisies, light blue cornflowers, and bright red poppies and roses.

Odilon Redon Flowers in a Vase, c. 1910 National Gallery of Art

A pale-skinned young woman with copper-orange hair, wearing a turquoise-blue robe, stands in a pastel-infused landscape in this stylized, vertical painting. The woman fills most of the left half of the composition.

Odilon Redon Pandora, 1910/1912 National Gallery of Art

Two girls in acrobatic uniforms stand in an arena, one holds oranges.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg), 1879 Art Institute of Chicago

Arched Doorway, John Singer Sargent, 1895–1908 (?), watercolor and gouache on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Arched Doorway, 1895–1908 (?) The Met

Two dark-skinned women stand facing each other on a dirt path that runs beside a body of water in this horizontal painting. One woman faces us and balances a flat tray loaded with white cloths on her head.

Camille Pissarro Two Women Chatting by the Sea, St. Thomas, 1856 National Gallery of Art

George Moore (1852–1933) at the Café, Édouard Manet, 1878 or 1879, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet George Moore (1852–1933) at the Café, 1878 or 1879 The Met

A pink-toned sandy beach meets a placid body of pale blue water under a hazy sky in this horizontal landscape painting.

John Frederick Kensett Beach at Beverly, c. 1869/1872 National Gallery of Art

This oval painting shows a cherubic child floating mid-air with one leg bent and their arms outstretched. The cherub has curly hair, a round face, and pale skin dusted with rosy pink and light teal shadows. They are smiling gently.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Love as Folly, c. 1773/1776 National Gallery of Art

Chrysanthemum, Piet Mondrian, 1906–42, oil on canvas

Piet Mondrian Chrysanthemum, 1906–42 Cleveland Museum of Art

King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Islamic, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Islamic King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535 Art Institute of Chicago

Whalers, Joseph Mallord William Turner, ca. 1845, oil on canvas

Joseph Mallord William Turner Whalers, ca. 1845 The Met

A sand-colored riverbank stretches in front of us to meet an arched bridge that spans a pale blue river to our right in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted so many details are indistinct.

Camille Corot Bridge on the Saône River at Mâcon, 1834 National Gallery of Art

We look slightly down onto a bay that curves away from us into the distance and to our right in this horizontal landscape painting. C-shaped, shallow waves lap at the sandy beach from our right.

Worthington Whittredge Second Beach, Newport, c. 1878/1880 National Gallery of Art

This is a painting with a central focus on a bison being pursued by a figure on horseback. The scene is set in a grassy prairie under a cloudy sky.

George Catlin Buffalo Chase, 1861/1869 National Gallery of Art

A person at the center of this loosely painted horizontal landscape rides a dark horse across a field as a man to the left works the field behind a horse-drawn plow.

Camille Corot View near Epernon, 1850/1860 National Gallery of Art

The Garden of the Tuileries on a Winter Afternoon, Camille Pissarro, 1899, oil on canvas

Camille Pissarro The Garden of the Tuileries on a Winter Afternoon, 1899 The Met

A passenger boat, its bright tan sails reflecting the sun, careens among choppy water with at least eight more sailboats and a town along the water’s edge in the distance in this horizontal landscape painting.

Joseph Mallord William Turner Rotterdam Ferry-Boat, 1833 National Gallery of Art

Small painting of woman in pink and black sitting on park bench.

William Merritt Chase A City Park, c. 1887 Art Institute of Chicago

A young woman with pale, peachy skin, wearing a long, flowing white dress, stands in front of a white curtain in this vertical portrait painting. Her auburn-red hair cascades down over and behind her shoulders.

James McNeill Whistler Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl, 1861-1863, 1872 National Gallery of Art

Cows, horses, sheep, and pigs stand closely together in a band across the bottom edge of this horizontal painting. Rolling hills open onto grassy lawns, farms, and fields beyond.

Edward Hicks The Cornell Farm, 1848 National Gallery of Art

Vase of Flowers (Pink Background), Odilon Redon, ca. 1906, oil on canvas

Odilon Redon Vase of Flowers (Pink Background), ca. 1906 The Met

Cool palettes

Blues, greens and grays. The ones that differ most from the wall in lightness come first. 12 paintings.

Vivid, lush view of rolling waves in purple, white, blue, and green against a bright blue sky with a watercolor-like blending of blues and purples. Sea and sky nearly become one.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Seascape, 1879 Art Institute of Chicago

Lucie Berard (Child in White), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Lucie Berard (Child in White), 1883 Art Institute of Chicago

Ship in Full Sail, T. Davies, 1827, oil on canvas

T. Davies Ship in Full Sail, 1827 National Gallery of Art

Painted almost entirely in tones of topaz, lapis, and sky blue, the façade of a building abutting a waterway fills this horizontal painting. Brushstrokes are visible throughout and they blend to make the scene appear hazy.

Claude Monet Palazzo da Mula, Venice, 1908 National Gallery of Art

Painting of a pond seen up close spotted with thickly painted pink and white water lilies and a shadow across the top third of the picture.

Claude Monet Water Lilies, 1906 Art Institute of Chicago

A small brown dog and a pale-skinned little girl wearing a white dress sit in matching celestial-blue armchairs in this horizontal painting. To our right, the girl sits with her legs angled to our left.

Mary Cassatt Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the chest up, a man with short, orange hair and green-tinted, pale skin looks at us, wearing a vivid blue painter's smock in this vertical portrait painting.

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait, 1889 National Gallery of Art

Painting of a crowd of well-dressed light-skinned people in an open, snowy field surrounded by large rolling hills.

George Bellows Love of Winter, 1914 Art Institute of Chicago

Rear Admiral George W. Melville, Thomas Eakins, 1905, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Rear Admiral George W. Melville, 1905 National Gallery of Art

Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon, c. 1540, oil on wood

Corneille de Lyon Portrait of a Woman, c. 1540 Cleveland Museum of Art

Boy in a Blue Coat, George Bellows, 1915, oil on canvas

George Bellows Boy in a Blue Coat, 1915 Cleveland Museum of Art

Edward VI (1537–1553), When Duke of Cornwall, Hans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1545; reworked 1547 or later, oil and gold on oak

Hans Holbein the Younger Edward VI (1537–1553), When Duke of Cornwall, ca. 1545; reworked 1547 or later The Met

Other wall colors