Expressionism (Behr MQ5-49)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Expressionism (Behr MQ5-49) is a very deep, cool purple from Behr: LRV 7.1, so it reflects about 7 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Expressionism
Three Behr colors picked for Expressionism by this site's color math: a trim white, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Behr did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Expressionism, ranked by CIEDE2000 (deltaE): under 1.0 is indistinguishable, 1.0 to 2.3 very close, 2.3 to 5 noticeably different, over 5 clearly different.
| Brand | Closest color | Code | LRV | deltaE | How close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Morning Glory | SW 6971 | 8 | 1.1 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Basic Blue | CC-968 | 8.4 | 2.7 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Homecoming Blue | 4009-9 | 8 | 3.4 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Daring Indigo | 1166-7 | 7 | 1.3 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr purple colors nearest to Expressionism (LRV 7.1 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Expressionism
Darker than Expressionism
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ5-49 |
| Hex | #39497B |
| RGB | 57, 73, 123 |
| HSL | 225°, 37%, 35% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 7.1 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 32.0, 9.1, -30.4 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Purple |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Expressionism (Behr MQ5-49), published as #39497B
#1E4179
#4F517C
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
More from Behr
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Expressionism (Behr MQ5-49)?
- Expressionism has an LRV of 7.1 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Expressionism is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Expressionism in another brand?
- Morning Glory (SW 6971) from Sherwin-Williams, at a deltaE of 1.1 (very close).
- Is Expressionism warm or cool?
- Behr lists Expressionism as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -30.4; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value. Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.