Tolstoy.life — Period Colours

Design system research · Phase 1 · 2026-04-19

The Four Periods

Period I
Youth & Formation
1828 – 1851
Childhood at Yasnaya Polyana, orphaned young, university dropout, restless moral self-examination.
Period II
The Soldier & Sinner
1851 – 1862
Caucasus campaign, Sevastopol, Petersburg literary fame, gambling, dissipation, travel in Europe.
Period III
The Great Works
1862 – 1880
Marriage, Yasnaya Polyana school, War and Peace, Anna Karenina — world fame at its height.
Period IV
The Prophet
1880 – 1910
Conversion, renunciation, Christian anarchism, excommunication, the Tolstoyan movement, death at Astapovo.

Colour Swatches

Forest Green#4A7C59
Green tint (dark bg)#7DBF92
Crimson#B83232
Red tint (dark bg)#E06868
Gold#B8960A
Gold tint (dark bg)#DDB840
Cobalt Blue#2362A0
Blue tint (dark bg)#5DA0DC

Period Colours on Light & Dark Backgrounds

Light — warm parchment-grey #dcd9d0
I — Youth & Formation
II — The Soldier & Sinner
III — The Great Works
IV — The Prophet
Dark — slate charcoal #272b30
I — Youth & Formation
II — The Soldier & Sinner
III — The Great Works
IV — The Prophet

Knowledge Graph — Node Colour Sketch

Youth Soldier Great Works Prophet

Timeline Bar

1828 – 1851 Youth & Formation
1851 – 1862 The Soldier & Sinner
1862 – 1880 The Great Works
1880 – 1910 The Prophet

tolstoy.life design system · period-colours-preview.html · 2026-04-19