Art for white walls: 12 paintings that bring warmth

Moreau’s golden sun god, Utamaro’s coral print, Hilma af Klint’s bold symbols and Manet’s Polichinelle: twelve paintings that warm a white room.

A white wall is the best gallery there is, but it can feel cold without the right picture. The answer is warmth: gold, coral, cream and clear colour that a white wall sets off like a mount.

Here are twelve paintings in three groups: gold and jewel tones, soft coral and cream, and colour with character. Each one turns a plain white room into somewhere you want to stay.

Gold and jewel tones

Rich, warm colour that glows against white.

1. The Toilette

A woman in gold, red and peacock blue stands in a richly decorated room beside a cobalt window.

Gustave Moreau, The Toilette, 1887.

Gustave Moreau painted this jewelled scene in 1887; he filled his Paris house, now his museum, with such visions.

Gold, cobalt and garnet.

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2. The Chariot of Apollo (Phoebus Apollo)

The sun god drives his chariot out of the night, a golden halo blazing behind him.

Gustave Moreau, The Chariot of Apollo (Phoebus Apollo), by 1898.

Gustave Moreau returned again and again to Apollo, painting the god of light as dawn itself.

Sun gold, midnight blue and red.

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3. The Young Eastern Woman

A young woman in an ornate headdress looks straight out at us.

Friedrich Amerling, The Young Eastern Woman, 1838. Oil on fabric. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Friedrich Amerling, the leading portrait painter of Biedermeier Vienna, painted her in 1838.

Ochre gold, sage and powder blue.

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4. Lady Harriet Sarah Wantage with her Egyptian Donkey

A silver haired lady in a cream gown rests her hand on a pale grey donkey with a red halter.

Briton Rivière, Lady Harriet Sarah Wantage with her Egyptian Donkey, 1897. Oil on canvas. University of Reading.

Briton Rivière, one of Victorian England’s best loved animal painters, painted Lady Wantage and her donkey in 1897.

Cream, autumn gold and red.

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Soft coral and cream

Gentle Japanese prints for white bedrooms and quiet rooms.

5. The Second Month

Two women in a room, one dressing her hair, the other holding a branch of blossom.

Utagawa Toyokuni I, The Second Month, c. 1793. Color woodblock print; chuban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Utagawa Toyokuni I made this print around 1793 for a series on the twelve months.

Coral, butter yellow and soft grey.

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6. The Hour of the Monkey

A woman straightens a child’s clothes in a quiet afternoon moment.

Kitagawa Utamaro, The Hour of the Monkey, c. 1794. Color woodblock print; oban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Kitagawa Utamaro made this print around 1794 for a series on the twelve hours of the day.

Dusty rose, sage and dove grey.

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7. Promenade in the Rain

Two women share an umbrella as fine lines of rain fall around them.

Utagawa Kunisada, Promenade in the Rain, c. early 1830s. Color woodblock print. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Utagawa Kunisada made this print in the early 1830s, at the height of his fame in Edo.

Lemon, cream, jade and red.

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8. Evening Glow of a Lamp

Two women read a letter by the soft light of a paper lantern.

Suzuki Harunobu, Evening Glow of a Lamp, c. 1766. Color woodblock print; chuban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Suzuki Harunobu made this print around 1766 for a series of eight indoor views.

Lamplight cream, leaf green and coral.

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Colour with character

Bold pictures for living rooms, hallways and studies.

9. Polichinelle

Polichinelle, the masked clown of the commedia dell’arte, stands in his white costume.

Édouard Manet, Polichinelle, 1874. Harvard Art Museums.

Édouard Manet made this lively image of Polichinelle in 1874.

White, poppy red, green and lemon.

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10. The US Series, Group VIII, No. 7

A silver eagle and a gold cross above, a mirror image in shadow below, split by triangles of black and red.

Hilma af Klint, The US Series, Group VIII, No. 7, 1913. Oil on canvas. Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.

Hilma af Klint painted this symmetrical vision of light and dark in 1913.

White, black, vermilion and gold.

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11. The Actors Arashi Ryuzo and Morita Kanya VIII

Two kabuki actors face each other in a tight, dramatic close up.

Tōshūsai Sharaku, The Actors Arashi Ryuzo and Morita Kanya VIII, 1794. Ink and color on paper. Art Institute of Chicago.

Tōshūsai Sharaku made all his famous actor portraits in a few months of 1794–95, then vanished.

Cream, ochre, teal and coral.

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12. The Return, Tynemouth

Two women stand on the windswept shore, watching the sea for the boats.

Winslow Homer, The Return, Tynemouth (recto) Study (verso), 1881. Watercolour. Art Institute of Chicago.

Winslow Homer painted this watercolour in 1881 during his stay in the fishing village of Cullercoats, near Tynemouth in England.

Sand, slate blue and ochre.

See the print

On a white wall, a picture with a warm cream or ivory ground looks especially at home, and one bold colour goes a long way. Repeat that colour once in a cushion or a vase. In a white bedroom, the soft coral prints are the calmest choice. For more, see neutral wall art, blue and white decor and art for grey walls.

Questions

What art looks best on white walls?

Warm pictures: gold, coral, cream and clear colour. A white wall sets them off like a gallery mount.

How do I make a white room feel warm?

Hang one warm picture, add wood, linen and lamplight, and repeat one colour from the picture in a textile.

What frame suits art on a white wall?

Natural oak or walnut for warmth, gilt for a classic look, or slim black for a crisp modern edge.

Is colourful art good for a white bedroom?

Yes. Choose soft coral, cream and sage for calm, or one bold picture opposite the bed for energy.