Watercolor paintings. Watercolor and watercolorists

A cure for those who are tired of trash and fuss. In a world where tons of information garbage fall on us every day, sometimes you really want to give up everything, take a deep breath and fix your gaze on something calm, not causing any irritation or discomfort. We believe that best vacation for the mind and vision it is an immersion in the world of art. In this review, we have collected works by watercolor artists that will fill you with silence and become a sip. fresh air on a hot city day.

Travel to Paris with Thierry Duval

Paris-born artist Thierry Duval has traveled extensively. Hence the presence of entire series of paintings “based on geography.” Nevertheless, Paris was and remains the author’s favorite place. The lion's share of works is dedicated specifically to the city of lovers. Duval paints exclusively in watercolors. At the same time, he has his own technique of multi-layer paint application, which allows him to create paintings with almost hyper-realistic detail.

Hot Afternoon Kanta Harusaki

Kanta Harusaki is a Japanese watercolorist, born in Kumamoto, who began working in watercolors at the age of 32. Harusaki likes to write using a wet brush, but keeping the drawing straight. He knows how to skillfully and reliably convey the most transparent light color, as well as light and space. Viewers admire the artist’s ability to convey clear contours highlights and foliage, combining this with the “wet” technique.

Living Water by David Drummond

David Drummond is an American artist who fell in love with the landscape of Powell Reservoir 20 years ago. Now he never tires of exploring every corner of this amazing place and capture it using watercolors. Drummond is interested in different states of water, the “mood” of nature and changes in it. As the holder of a degree in physics, Drummond approaches creativity with all scientific responsibility, which is why his watercolors seem so vibrant and realistic.

Country morning by Christian Granju

Frenchman Christian Graniou often depicts provincial landscapes in his paintings. Despite the fact that detailed drawing does not attract him, and the light is distributed throughout the entire space, the artist’s works evoke a feeling of spaciousness and airiness.

Evening Calm by Joseph Zbukvic

Today the Australian Croatian origin Joseph Zbukvic is considered one of the pillars watercolor drawing worldwide. The artist fell in love with watercolor literally from the first stroke; he was struck by the untamed nature and individuality of this technique. He thinks she lives own life. It cannot be studied, there is no way to control the behavior of watercolor. Just ride around like a wild horse. And every day again.

Watercolor is considered one of the most capricious and temperamental paints, despite its simplicity and transparency. Children begin to master drawing with watercolors, but how many people know how great the power of this harmless paint really is?

Brief history: the beginning of development

The best watercolor painters in the world were able to create their masterpieces thanks to China, where, after the invention of paper, which happened in the 2nd century AD. e., watercolor technique received the opportunity to develop.

In Europe, the first beginnings appeared in the countries of Italy and Spain, when paper products appeared there (XII-XIII centuries).

Watercolor art came into use later than other types of painting. One of the most famous firsts works considered exemplary was the painting “The Hare” by the best watercolor painter of the world of the Renaissance - Albrecht Durer in 1502.

Then the artists Giovanni Castiglione and Anthony van Dyck began to study the watercolor technique, but examples of works in a similar technique continued to remain at a single level - a fact that Montaber confirmed in his treatise on painting. When mentioning watercolor, he did not go into detail, since he believed that this technique did not deserve serious professional attention.

However, watercolor technique became necessary in scientific and military research, when archaeologists and geologists needed to capture the objects they were studying (animals, plants, nature in general), as well as create topographical and architectural diagrams.

Let's rise

IN XVIII century, closer to the middle, watercolor technique became a pastime among amateur painters. This event was influenced by the published notes of Gilpin William Sowry, in which he described the provinces of England.

Also by this time, the fashion for portrait miniatures had spread, which amateur artists began to dare to study using watercolor techniques.

The best watercolorists of the world of the 18th and 19th centuries

The real flowering of watercolor, which turned it into the main and significant example of painting in England, occurred at the moment when two artists, Thomas Guertin and Joseph Turner, put their talented hands to this work.

In 1804, thanks to Turner, an organization called the Society of Watercolor Painters was created.

Guertin's early work of landscape illustrations was traditional in relation to English school, however, gradually he was able to develop a much broader and more ambitious romantic direction landscape. Thomas began using watercolors for larger formats.

The second best watercolorist in the world, Joseph Turner, became the youngest artist to receive the status He was able to create his own and therefore the new kind landscape, with the help of which he had the opportunity to reveal his memories and feelings. Thus, Turner was able to enrich his armada of watercolor techniques.

To his big name Joseph is also indebted to the writer John Ruskin, who, through his writings, was able to declare Turner the most important artist of his era.

Merit

The activities of the two geniuses described above influenced the vision of art of such figures as

• landscape painters David Cox and Richard Banington;
• the world's best watercolorist and architect, Samuel Prout;
• still life professionals Samuel Parter, William Hunt, Miles Foster, John Lewis and girl Lucy Madox, as well as many others.

Watercolor in the United States

The heyday of watercolor in America dates back to mid-19th century, when the best watercolorists in the world, such as Thomas Roman, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and William Richards, were supporters of this type of painting.

1. Thomas Roman's role was to help create Yellowstone national park. At Cook's suggestion, Thomas agreed to participate in the geological research work, traveling to the Yellowstone region. His drawings aroused great public interest, which resulted in the region being included in the list national treasures parks
2. Winslow Homer was one of the founders of American realism painting. Managed to create his own art school. According to most experts, he was one of the best landscape watercolor painters in the world, who influenced the further (20th century) development of American painting.
3. Thomas Eakins was also involved in the emergence of realism in painting along with the master Homer mentioned above. The artist was fascinated by the working mechanism human body, because the theme of naked and semi-nude figures in Eakins’s work occupied leading place. His works often depicted athletes, and even more precisely, rowers and wrestlers.
4. William Richards' skill was expressed in a fairly accurate resemblance of the works to the photographs. He gained fame as a watercolor mountain landscape painter, and subsequently as a master of water paintings.

The best watercolorists of the world in France

The spread of watercolor art in France is associated with such names as Eugene Delacroix, Paul Delaroche, Henri Arpinier and professional artistic satire Honore Daumier.

1. Eugene Delacroix is ​​the head of the romanticism movement in European painting. He was elected to the Paris city council and awarded an honorary order. The first work to make his name known was the painting “Massacre at Chios,” depicting the horrors of the Greek War of Independence. Naturalism reached such mastery that critics accused his technique of even being overly natural.

2. Paul Delaroche is a painter who is a representative and member of the academic movement. At the age of 36 he was elected to the post of professor teaching at the school fine arts city ​​of Paris. The large-scale work of his entire life is the work “Semicircle”, which included 75 brilliant artists past tense.

3. Henri Arpinier is considered one of the best watercolor painters of landscapes in France at that time. In addition to depicting nature, he worked in a portrait style. In his work you can often see drawings by children.

4. Honore Daumier was not only an artist, but also a graphic artist, sculptor, and caricature specialist. Once, for his work in “Gargantua,” the activist was sent to serve a prison sentence. He became famous for his cartoons on political, social and personal topics, depicting successful people France of its time.

Watercolor masters in Russia

The founder and discoverer of Russian watercolor is considered to be Pyotr Fedorovich Sokolov, one of the best watercolor artists in the world. He was the progenitor of the Russian watercolor portrait, and was also one of the academicians of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.

The blood brothers of the Bryullov family were also famous for their talent. Karl was a watercolorist, representing the movements of classicism and romanticism, and his older brother Alexander was not only an artist, but also an architect, who owned many St. Petersburg projects.

In 1887, the World of Art organization was formed, consisting of Ivan Bilibin and artist Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva.

In the same year, the association “Society of Russian Watercolor Painters” began to operate, the first chairman of which was the above-mentioned Alexander Benois.

In the 20th century, the range of domestic artists expanded. Some of the best watercolor painters in the world from Russia are:

• Gerasimov Sergey;
• Zakharov Sergey;
• Tyrsa Nikolay;
• Vedernikov Alexander;
• Vereisky Georgy;
• Teterin Victor;
• Zubreeva Maria and many other talented figures.

Present tense

Nowadays, the watercolor technique has not lost its significance and its capabilities continue to be revealed by more and more new faces. There are many artists working on capricious and complex paint, below is a list of just some of the best watercolorists of our time.

1. Thomas Schaller is an artist and architect from America. Regarding watercolors, he admitted that he was in love with it for its ability to express the unique voice of the artist. The thematic preferences of the world's best watercolorist include architecture (city landscape) and, of course, images of nature.

2. Thierry Duval is an Italian watercolorist who has his own paint application technique, which allows him to depict details and the picture as a whole incredibly realistically.

3. Stanislaw Zoladz is a Polish artist specializing in hyperrealism. The work is interesting because the author excludes the presence of a person and only details (boats, houses on the horizon or abandoned buildings) remind of his existence.

4. Arush Votsmush is a domestic watercolorist from Sevastopol. He calls his work “the pure drug of creativity.”

5. Anna Armona is an artist from Ukraine. Her work is very bold, as she is a lover of colors and uses them very expressively.

6. Pavel Dmoch is another watercolorist from Poland. Depicts a real cityscape, integrating shadows and light with interiors, exteriors and architecture.

7. Joseph Zbukvich - the most famous Australian artist. He compares his favorite paint to a wild horse, which will never be completely curbed. Closer to his heart are the themes of the sea, as well as the opposite - the city landscape.

Below is a photo of the world's best watercolorist with his work.

Imagine: he was able to create one of his incredible works using just one paint - instant coffee.

8. Mary White is an American artist who is one of the best portrait watercolorists in the world. Her paintings depict a variety of personalities: the elderly, children, African Americans, women, workers and others.

Watercolor - (from French aquarelle - water, from Latin aqua - water) paint for painting. It consists of finely ground pigment and easily water-soluble adhesives of plant origin - gum arabic and dextrin. Honey, sugar and glycerin retain moisture.

Watercolor is light, transparent, and at the same time complex. Does not tolerate correction. This paint has been known since ancient times. They were used in ancient Egypt, ancient China and in the countries of the ancient world. Watercolor needs special, porous paper. It was invented in China. The paint is easily absorbed into it. But the difficulty lies in transparency - you cannot cover one color with another - they will mix. It is impossible to correct the mistake, except perhaps to beat the spot that accidentally appeared. There are “wet brush” watercolors and “dry brush” watercolors. I love the first appointment. It is also called “a la prima”. It is lighter, more transparent.

In Europe, watercolor painting came into use later than other types of painting. One of the Renaissance artists who achieved great success V watercolor painting was Albrecht Dürer. An example of this is his work “The Hare”.

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) Hare

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) Primrose vulgaris, 1503. Washington, National Gallery of Art

In the 18th-19th centuries, thanks to Thomas Gurtin and Joseph Turner, watercolor became one of the the most important species English painting.

Thomas Girtin, English artist (1775-1802) Ruins of Savoy Castle

Thomas Guertin - a young artist, died at the age of 27, but he is rightly called an outstanding artist. He very quickly developed his own style: sweeping aside some old canons, removing what was limited in the drawing, he began to refuse to develop foreground, sought to capture an open space, striving for panoramicness.

Turner. Courtyard Kirkby Lonsdale church

The watercolorist also constantly improved his technique and studied the nature of the movement of water and air. By the beginning of the 19th century, in his watercolors he achieved the power and expressiveness usually inherent in oil painting. By discarding unnecessary detail, he created new type landscape through which the artist revealed his memories and experiences.

The innovations of Gurtin, who began to use watercolors for large-format paintings, and Turner, who significantly enriched the arsenal of technical techniques as a watercolorist, brought to life the further rise of English watercolors in the work of landscape artists.

The English tradition of watercolor had a strong influence on Russian artists, especially those associated with the Imperial Academy of Arts, located in the capital of the empire - St. Petersburg.

The first name in the chronicle of Russian watercolors is Petr Fedorovich Sokolov.

He painted portraits of his contemporaries.

Watercolor painting in St. Petersburg and Russia reached an exceptional peak in last decades XIX and first two decades of the XX century. At a time when there were no photographs yet, speed of execution, a minimum number of tedious posing sessions, airiness of color - all this was needed Russian society. And therefore, it was watercolor that enjoyed success in the upper and middle layers.

Eduard Petrovich Gau. Gatchina Palace LOWER THRONE HALL. 1877

Such painters as Ilya Repin, Mikhail Vrubel, Valentin Serov, Ivan Bilibin brought their original tribute to the art of watercolor.

Vrubel

V. Serov Portrait of I. Repin

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876-1942). On the river bank. Pencil, watercolor

An important stage in the development of Russian watercolors was the organization in 1887 of the “Society of Russian Watercolorists,” which arose from a circle of watercolorists. Regular watercolor exhibitions and the creation of the “Society of Russian Watercolorists” (1887) contributed to the widespread dissemination of the technique and increased its status. The Society’s program did not have an ideological orientation; representatives of the Society coexisted peacefully among its members different directions united by a passion for the art of watercolor. A. N. Benois was elected its first chairman. The society was active in exhibition activities, holding in 1896-1918. thirty-eight exhibitions. Its members were A.K. Beggrov, Albert Benois, P.D. Buchkin, N.N. Karazin, M.P. Klodt, L.F. Logario, A.I. Meshchersky, E.D. Polenova, A. P. Sokolov, P. P. Sokolov and others.

ALEXANDER BEGGROV Galera. Tver. 1867.

The task of preserving and transmitting the traditions of the watercolor school early XIX century and preparing the ground for a new rise in watercolor, the “Society of Russian Watercolorists” undoubtedly accomplished. Watercolor began to be perceived again as an independent field with its own language visual arts. Many members of the Society became teachers for the next generation of artists.

Watercolor painting also fascinated members of the World of Art association. Alexandra Benois(1870-1960), Lev Bakst (1866-1924), Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942), Konstantin Somov (1869-1939), Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva (1871-1955). Watercolors were owned by the poet Maximilian Voloshin (1877-1932), whose drawings overlapped with his poetic works.

Lev Samoilovich Bakst. Dancer from the ballet Firebird. 1910. Watercolor.

Ivan Bilibin

K. Somov. Bathers. 1904. Paper, watercolor.

Alexander Palace in Detskoye Selo (watercolor) P A Ostroymov-Lebedev

Voloshin

Among the largest watercolor masters of the 20th century are N. A. Tyrsa, S. V. Gerasimov, A. A. Deineka, S. E. Zakharov, M. A. Zubreeva, A. S. Vedernikov, G. S. Vereisky, P. D. Buchkin, V. M. Konashevich, N. F. Lapshin, V. V. Lebedev, G. K. Malysh, A. N. Samokhvalov, S. I. Pustovoitov, V. A. Vetrogonsky, V. S. Klimashin, V.K. Teterin, A.I. Fonvizin and others.

Tyrsa N.A. Portrait of Anna Akhmatova. 1928 Paper, black watercolor

A.A.Deineka

Date of publication: 12/23/2016

Available in watercolor technique something special - fragile charm, lightness and weightlessness, the ability to surprisingly accurately convey the swiftness and fleetingness of the moment. Modern painters love watercolors. This technique is ideal for a dynamic, rapidly changing world before our eyes. In this review, we offer you a selection of the most famous watercolor artists who have achieved great heights in the art of watercolor and have gained worldwide popularity.

The most famous Australian artist working in watercolors. There is a museum in Zagreb named after him. The fact is that the artist was born in Croatia (in 1952), but at the age of 18 he emigrated to Australia with his family.

He studied industrial design at the University of Melbourne and later received his first awards and worldwide recognition. Croats are very proud of their famous countryman. In many art stores in Europe you can find brushes marked with his name for sale.

The secret of the artist’s success, by his own admission, is that he never makes paintings for sale, but creates exclusively for his own pleasure. D. Zbukvich's works can be seen in leading galleries around the world (in the USA, Great Britain, Australia, China).

His trademark is “Z” (the first letter of his last name). He teaches his students freedom, and compares watercolors to a wild, unbridled horse that can never truly be tamed. He confesses his love for her as the most beloved woman, and this love has lasted for 40 years.

The artist does not like pure black, saying that black is not a color, but its absence. Favorite topic – seascape and city views. One of the most unusual watercolors, which the master created, is written with just one paint - and this paint is instant coffee.

This artist just loves to write beautiful women and small children surrounded by sunlight. His paintings are sensual, sometimes overtly sexual, full of harmony and very realistic.

Sometimes they resemble skillful photographs. He loves to paint women against the backdrop of water landscapes; the artist makes the water element especially realistic.

Steve Hanks was born in 1949 in California and fell in love with the ocean since childhood, because he spent quite a lot of time on its coast. Graduated with honors from the San Francisco Art Academy.

The artist calls his own style “emotional realism.” Among the 10 most famous American artists. He says to himself that he paints people, but not portraits.

He loves to write sunlight, which is one of the main characters his watercolors. At first the artist tried to work with different techniques– oil, acrylic. But later he was forced to switch to working only with watercolors, as he was allergic to paints.

Eventually, he became so skilled at watercolor painting that he made the technique very similar to oil painting.

Born in 1953 in Ohio. Studied painting in Philadelphia in art school. This artist's specialty is portraits.

She paints stunning watercolor portraits of the most... different people- poor people, workers, children, old women and old men, beautiful African-American girls in flowering, sun-drenched meadows.

A whole gallery of faces of modern America. Very bright, rich and sunny watercolors, full deep meaning. They depict people in the most ordinary situations, engaged in everyday activities.

The artist considers the ability to accurately convey emotions to be the main thing in her work. Simply masterfully copying things and people is not enough.

The artist works in two techniques – oil and watercolor. It was watercolor that brought her fame and recognition around the world. Mary White also successfully illustrates children's books.

He is called a French realist. The artist was born in 1962 in Paris. IN currently works as an illustrator in one of the publishing houses. He received an education in the field of decorative and applied arts.

He paints exclusively in watercolors, using his own technique of multi-layer paint application, due to which he achieves incredible realism in his work. Likes to work on individual accents.

Careful elaboration of details is the artist’s favorite technique, his trademark. Favorite theme: cityscape. The artist loves to paint his native Paris and Venice. His watercolors are imbued with romanticism and charm. He considers Eugene Delacroix to be his teacher in painting.