The Singing Butler
Scotland's most popular and most reproduced painting — a couple dancing on a windswept beach while servants hold umbrellas against the rain. Vettriano painted it for his own pleasure and submitted it to the Royal Scottish Academy, where it was rejected. It went on to become the best-selling art print in Britain. The palette is cinematic and romantic: black, white, red, and sand.
Color Mood
Dramatically cinematic. Four colors do everything — black and white for the servants, scarlet for the dancing woman, wet sand for the beach. The simplicity is the genius. It looks like a film still from a movie that doesn't exist but should.
Private collection (original sold for £744,500 at Sotheby's, 2004)
Primary Colors
The dominant colors that define the overall mood and atmosphere of the work.
Secondary Colors
Supporting colors that add depth, contrast, and visual interest.
Tertiary Colors
Accent and detail colors that complete the composition.