Blue wall art: 12 paintings from sky blue to deep navy

Manet’s seaside, Blake’s Dante, Homer’s open skies and Hiroshige’s fireworks: twelve paintings in every blue, from powder to midnight.

Blue is the most loved colour in the world, and the easiest to live with on a wall. It calms a bedroom, cools a sunny living room and makes a hallway feel deeper than it is. Painters knew this long before paint charts: some of the most beautiful blues in art were made for quiet rooms.

Here are twelve paintings in three families of blue: sky and powder blue, cornflower and sea blue, and navy and midnight. Each is shown with its colour palette, so you can match it to your walls, bedding or sofa.

Sky and powder blue

Pale, airy blues for bedrooms and bathrooms.

1. The Ransom

A knight in armour embraces his two daughters as their ransom is counted on a table.

John Everett Millais, The Ransom, c. 1860. Watercolor and white gouache on cream card (paper-covered). Harvard Art Museums.

John Everett Millais made this watercolour around 1860, washing the armour and castle walls in cool, silvery blue.

Powder blue and steel with a touch of crimson.

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2. Study for "Interior at Arcachon"

A figure sits in a shaded room looking out at a bright blue bay.

Edouard Manet, Study for "Interior at Arcachon", 1871. Watercolor, brown ink and graphite on off-white wove "graph" paper. Harvard Art Museums.

Édouard Manet made this watercolour study in 1871 for his Interior at Arcachon, painted in a holiday house by the sea.

Sea blue, linen and shade: a calm seaside scheme.

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3. Lucia Carrying Dante

Saint Lucia lifts the sleeping Dante through a pale blue sky.

William Blake, Lucia Carrying Dante, 1824-1827. Watercolor, black ink, graphite, and black chalk on off-white antique laid paper. Harvard Art Museums.

William Blake was still working on his watercolours for Dante’s Divine Comedy when he died in 1827. This is one of them.

Sky blue and soft gold for a dreamy bedroom.

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4. Personification of Fidelity

A woman holding a key, the symbol of fidelity, looks out from deep shadow.

Domenico Tintoretto, Personification of Fidelity, c. 1595-1600. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums.

From the Venetian workshop of Domenico Tintoretto, around 1600: the key she holds stands for trust and loyalty.

Ice blue and deep slate, quietly dramatic.

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Cornflower and sea blue

Fresh mid blues for living rooms and coastal rooms.

5. Oystercatchers

Two oystercatchers stand at the water’s edge against a sea of soft blue.

Utagawa Hiroshige, Oystercatchers, c. 1833/34. Color woodblock print; koban. Art Institute of Chicago.

Utagawa Hiroshige made this small bird print around 1833 with almost nothing but two birds, a shore and a wash of blue.

Sea blue and sand for a coastal room.

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6. The Brush Harrow

Two boys guide a horse and harrow across a field under a wide blue sky.

Winslow Homer, The Brush Harrow, 1865. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums.

Winslow Homer painted this quiet farm scene in 1865, just after the Civil War, under a tall, cloud filled sky.

Cornflower and cloud white over earthy brown.

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7. Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)

The composer Emmanuel Chabrier, painted by his friend in shades of blue.

Edouard Manet, Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894), 1881. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums.

Édouard Manet painted his friend, the composer Emmanuel Chabrier, in 1881, with quick, sure strokes.

Blue grey and slate for a study or library.

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8. Two Dancers Entering the Stage

Two ballet dancers wait in the wings, lit by the footlights.

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, Two Dancers Entering the Stage, c. 1877-1878. Pastel over monotype in black ink on white modern laid paper, discolored to tan. Harvard Art Museums.

Edgar Degas drew in pastel over a monotype print around 1877, a method he used to catch the light of the stage.

Cornflower blue with a warm glow of gold.

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Navy and midnight

Deep blues for studies, dining rooms and dark bedrooms.

9. Christmas Delivery

A child on a bicycle rides through a starry night above a snowy village, carrying toys.

José Frappa, Christmas Delivery, 1894–95. Oil on canvas.

José Frappa painted this winter fantasy in 1894–95, with a trail of light across a deep navy sky.

Midnight navy and frost for a child’s room at Christmas.

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10. Fireworks at Ryōgoku

Fireworks burst above the Ryōgoku Bridge on a dark summer night.

Utagawa Hiroshige, Fireworks at Ryōgoku, 1858. Color woodblock print. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Hiroshige made this print in 1858 for his One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, the last great series of his life.

Ink navy and a spark of gold.

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11. Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan

The Persian ambassador Mirza Abu’l Hassan Khan in a jewelled turban.

Thomas Lawrence, Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan, 1810. Oil on canvas. Harvard Art Museums.

Sir Thomas Lawrence painted the Persian envoy in 1810, during his celebrated visit to London.

Deep blue and gold, rich and formal.

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12. Landscape with Cottages

A path winds past thatched cottages toward a distant church under a deep blue sky.

Jacob Grimmer, Landscape with Cottages, 1561. Oil on panel. Harvard Art Museums.

Jacob Grimmer painted the Flemish countryside around Antwerp; this panel dates from 1561.

Deep teal blue with a flash of mustard.

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Pale blues suit bedrooms and bathrooms; mid blues bring a fresh, coastal feel to living rooms; navy and midnight give studies and dining rooms depth. Warm frames in oak or gold stop a blue picture from feeling cold. For more, see art for blue walls, blue and white decor and coastal wall art.

Questions

What colours go with blue wall art?

White, cream and warm sand; ochre, gold and rust for contrast; soft grey and natural wood for calm.

Is blue art good for a bedroom?

Yes. Pale and mid blues are among the most restful colours for a bedroom, especially above the bed or opposite a window.

What size blue print should I hang over a sofa?

Aim for about two thirds of the sofa’s width, or hang a pair of blue prints side by side.

Can I hang blue art on a blue wall?

Yes. Choose a picture a few shades lighter or darker than the wall, with a warm accent such as gold or ochre, so it doesn’t disappear.