The Yellow Scale
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| The Yellow Scale | |
|---|---|
| Žlutá stupnice (Czech) | |
 The Yellow Scale as displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. | |
| Artist | František Kupka |
| Year | c. 1907, perhaps continuing until c. 1908 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Subject | Himself |
| Dimensions | 78.74 cm × 74.30 cm (31.00 in × 29.25 in) |
| Location | Museum of Fine Arts[1], Houston |
The Yellow Scale (Czech: Žlutá stupnice) is a large oil-on-canvas self-portrait painting by František Kupka created in 1907. It is owned by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.[2]
Measuring at approximately 0.8 m × 0.75 m, it encapsulates a spectrum of yellow tones, from warm cadmiums to bright lemon yellows, contrasting with Kupka’s dark stare. Kupka is at the centre of the composition, bathed in yellow light and holding a cigarette in one hand and a book in the other. His figure is, alongside the yellow tones, the focal point of the piece that explores traditional color theory. Visually, the bright yellow tones dominate the composition, struck through by the pinks and purples of Kupka’s form, creating an exploration of colour.
The painting has been used to portray Jean des Esseintes, protagonist of the novel À rebours (1884), written by Joris-Karl Huysmans, in the Penguin Classics prints of the book.