Art is a language -- as we've discussed with early writing like hieroglyphs before! And like any other language, art has its dialects, its classical, and even historical, means of expressing emotion, story, and beauty. It turns out one of the most essential dialects in painting is the key of a work.
Learning about key was down to my ever-watchful art school mentor who let me in on this artsy tip during a conversation about my third-to-last Portfolio work. No jokes, her art drop hit me like a wrecking ball, slamming into stylistic choices I'd long blamed myself for.
At my core, I'd always believed something was inherently wrong with my art.
Break the chain
In a sentence my mentor shattered the core of why I have long considered the way I make art faulty, inferior, and broken. My mistaken perception was a custom-made demon, brought into being just to hold artists down. I was shocked when I learned about key. So much so, night has fallen and I have researched the notion for much of the day.
But what I learned also made me wonder if there are others like me out there, diligently creating, staring at the clarity and lightness of a gorgeous work, secretly thinking -- Well done: Still worthless.
If you're out there thinking this, you are mistaken.
What's the key
Key refers to the overall lightness or darkness of the palette of an artist.
Sounds simple, right? Yet it's not. This is because though all three keys convey deep emotion, give complex narratives, and highlight serious beauty, only one of them is widely considered professional these days. Only one is considered correct.
And if you don't paint in Mid-key? You will feel it. You will feel that you have failed. Unfortunately, art social media will make sure of that.
But here's the dish. In general, there are three palette styles: high-key, mid-key, and low-key. And we'll navigate through a little art history using the works of Artemisia Gentileschi, Evelyn Pickering De Morgan, and Mary Cassatt as our guides. Then, we’ll transition into the modern era, examining some contemporary artists -- Enys Guerrero, Lioba Brückner, and my art, to show that time continues to breathe life into the element of art style known as key.
Key in painting palettes
Before diving into these artists' works we should explain what we mean by key in painting:
High-Key: A palette dominated by light tones with few dark values. High-key paintings often evoke a sense of lightness, airiness, optimism, and clarity.
Mid-Key: A balanced palette where mid-tones dominate. It has neither extreme lights nor extreme darks. Mid-key paintings can convey a sense of stability, tranquility, suspension, and calmness.
Low-Key: A palette dominated by dark tones with few light values. Low-key paintings often evoke feelings of drama, mystery, intensity, and suspense.
Low-Key: Shadows with Artemisia Gentileschi and Enys Guerrero
Let's descend into the deep, mysterious world of low-key painting. Low-key is the night—a place full of secrets, intensity, and drama. This is a domain of strong contrasts, of light pressing against the darkness, and stories that carry heaviness.
Artemisia Gentileschi was a Baroque master -- yes, a woman Old Master, they exist. She was fearless in her use of low-key palettes.
Her painting Judith and her Maidservant is a stunning example of how darkness can amplify drama and emotion. In the painting, Gentileschi uses deep shadows to create atmosphere that is rife with tension and anticipation. The active composition also draws people into the scene where Judith and her maidservant, caught in a moment of pause, are illuminated by a single, flickering candle.
In fact, the light barely touches the darkness that surrounds them, and that reinforces the sense of secrecy and danger. Gentileschi uses chiaroscuro, a technique with sharp contrasts between light and dark edges to great effect. The contrast pulls you into the moment and makes you feel the weight of the actions in the piece along with suspense about what will come next.
It's like a play unfurling on a gaslit stage, this painting: dark and brumous.
Contemporary artist Enys Guerrero also revels in the shadows, but with an eye to modern sensibility. Her work, which is dark and somewhat gothic, uses low-key palettes to create an off-beat atmosphere of intrigue.
Guerrero’s limited light and ever-present shadows are critical to making her work carry the haunting, eerie feel she prizes. Her paintings invite you to step into the mist and explore the unknown. The low-key palette helps her to find beauty in the shadows.
Mid-Key: Balance with Evelyn Pickering De Morgan and Lioba Brückner
Now that you know your low-key, let’s take a step into the surreal world of mid-key, where light and dark come together in harmony.
Mid-key is like that golden hour of sunset when the world is bathed in a soft, even light that makes things both glow and fill with gloaming. It’s about balance, capturing emotion and experience without tipping too far into light, or shadow.
Evelyn Pickering De Morgan was a British painter who was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. She is known for her beautifully balanced compositions and use of colours. Her work often features strong women's figures in a harmonious mid-key palette that highlights the strength and serenity of her subjects.
This key works well to create a mystical feel in an artwork, and you'll sure notice that in some of Evelyn's paintings.
In The Angel of Death De Morgan uses a palette of mid-tones to transmit a sense of calm and contemplation. The soft golds, muted reds, and gentle blues are responsible for creating a balanced, ethereal atmosphere that draws the viewer into the desired narrative without overwhelming them with extreme light or shadow. It’s a solid example of how mid-key painting can evoke both emotional depth and visual harmony.
Modern artist Lioba Brückner carries this tradition forward with her own mid-key masterpieces. In her work the colors shift gently from light to dark, creating a scene that feels both surreal and sometimes otherworldly.
As viewers, we get caught in the moments between dreaming and waking up -- that place were the boundaries of reality blur and anything is possible. Lioba's balanced palette invites you to sit in that moment, to scan the spaces between light and shadow. For her, that's where the magic happens.
High-Key: Sunlight with Mary Cassatt and me, Tracy Eire
Mary Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker who was part of the Impressionist movement. Her works usually depict women and children in domestic settings, using soft, light palettes that are quintessentially high-key. It turns out that Cassatt’s use of light colors also brings a gentle warmth to her subjects, and envelops them in an atmosphere of calm, optimism, and even tenderness.
In her painting The Child's Bath, Cassatt is using a high-key palette to emphasize the purity and intimacy of the scene. The light tones of the figures, the dress and the white bath towel, dominate the composition, and they conjure a sense of cleanliness, clarity, and care. But the strengths of high-key painting go beyond just creating a serene atmosphere—they touch on how light and color can change our perception of the world.
High-key paintings, with their light, airy tones, also have a unique ability to evoke feelings of warmth, connection, and protection. It's as if the absence of harsh contrasts allows emotions to flow effortlessly and creates a peaceful, nurturing ambiance. That feeling can draw the viewer into orbit around high-key works.
Sometimes works in this key are called ethereal, timeless, and optimistic. In the hands of an artist like Mary Cassatt, a high-key palette becomes more than just a stylistic choice. It’s a tool for building a narrative, unlocking emotion in others, and building connections with the viewer on a personal level.
Nothing about that is broken.
I had just become convinced it was.
Then there's me: Tracy Eire. For my work -- just for a moment -- try to imagine stepping into a world where the air literally shimmers with golden possibility, where dragons glide by in pastel skies, and faeries are filled up with the glow of the moon. That's the realm I try to create in my art -- a world that feels ethereal because it is filled with hope.
As an artist, I’m drawn to high-key palettes, embracing light, and soft colors that open up spaces for the imagination to roam freely. My paintings are not about shadows but about the brilliance of the sun or the gentle radiance of the full moon. My work is an invitation to step into a resting place and sit for tea; it's a safe haven crafted especially for women and girls. Here, the harshness often associated with our narratives is reimagined, even replaced with a sense of grace and possibility. A new mythos.
My purpose is my message
While I'm painting, I’m conscious of a deeper purpose -- my desire to rewrite the outdated myths that have long cast us in a diminished light. That means my art is a quiet rebellion against those narratives, offering a vision of women and girls as powerful, radiant beings, full of potential, instead.
The pastel tones and soft light are not mistakes. They aren't simply aesthetic choices. They're deliberate acts of empowerment, designed to create an atmosphere that encourages big dreams for big dreamers -- dreamers like you. I paint the way I do so that other people can see themselves in a new light.
In the world as I paint it, there’s no room for the ugliness often imposed on us by history and tradition. Instead, I look to flood spaces with lightness, hope, and the belief that we are not only enough, but extraordinary. I paint the way I do because I think that is the real truth.
And for years, I have looked at my bright paintings, studied the lack of dark values, and thought to myself -- You don't paint properly. You'll never be a real artist.
While I already was one.
Yes, you are a gifted artist. Thank you for your insights.