Question about "The portrait utilizes a palette of..."
Your sentence is correct. It is a figure of speech called personification which is commonly used. Look at this example:
The picture utilizes a pyramidal arrangement common of High Renaissance artists, although Leonardo's perfection of anatomical movement and fluidity elevates the figures with a sense of realistic motion.
However, the expression itself is rarely used, as Gngram finds no instances of it in written texts.
Note: It can be utilizes (AmE) or utilises (BrE).