F Major - Research on Harmony - Variations 12

Four A's in sequence. Variation 12 contains F1, C3, A4, A5, A6, A7 — the root in the deep bass, the fifth once in the midrange, then four consecutive versions of the third ascending through the upper register. From A4 (warm orange) to A7 (silver), the third climbs through four octaves, each version lighter and more silvery than the one below.

The arch rises from F1 (near-black) to A7 (silver) at the crest, then folds back. The shape is bell, but the interior is unusual — a single C in the middle and then all A's through the upper range, the third dominating the painting's upper half in four registers of yellow-orange to pale red to silver.

Lent, mp, legato, four beats. Shadow and midtone share the lower two-thirds; highlights spread through the upper third where the four A's progressively lighten. The series' fourth-to-last étude, and the one that most clearly traces the ascent of a single pitch-class through its chromesthetic range.