The best watercolorists in the world: works, drawing techniques, photos

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

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

A brief history: the beginning of development

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

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

Watercolor art came into use later than other types of painting. One of the most famous first works, considered exemplary, was the painting "Hare" by the world's best watercolorist of the Renaissance - Albrecht Dürer in 1502.

Then artists Giovanni Castiglione, Claude Lorrain, and also Anthony vanDyck, however, samples of works in this technique continued to remain at a single level - a fact that Montabert confirmed in his treatise on painting. When mentioning watercolor, he did not go into details, as he believed that this technique did not deserve professional serious attention.

However, the watercolor technique gained its need in scientific and military research, when archaeologists and geologists needed to capture the objects under study (animals, plants, nature in general), as well as create topographic and architectural schemes.

Get up

In the 18th century, towards the middle, watercolor technique became an entertainment in the circles of amateur draftsmen. 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 a portrait miniature had spread, which amateur artists began to dare to study using watercolor technique.

The world's best watercolorists 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 Gertin and Joseph Turner, applied their talented hands to this matter.

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

Thomas Gertin

Gertin's early landscape illustrations were traditional in relation to the English school, but gradually he was able to develop a much broader and more ambitious romantic direction of the landscape. Thomasbegan to use watercolor for a larger format.

Joseph Turner

World's second-best watercolorist Joseph Turner has become the youngest artist to receive royal academic status. He was able to create his own and therefore a new kind of landscape, with the help of which he had the opportunity to reveal his memories and feelings. Thus, Turner managed to enrich the armada of watercolor techniques.

Joseph also owes his great name to the writer John Ruskin, who, with the help of his writings, was able to declare Turner the most significant artist of his era.

Merit

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

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

Watercolor in the United States

The heyday of watercolor in America falls on the middle of the 19th century, when the world's best watercolorists such as Thomas Roman, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and William Richards act as 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 geological research work by going to the Yellowstone region. His drawings aroused great public interest, which led toinclusion of the region in the list of national heritage 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 watercolors 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 Master Homer, mentioned above. The artist was fond of the mechanism of the human body, because the theme of naked and semi-nude figures in the work of Eakins occupied a leading place. Athletes were often depicted in his works, and more precisely, rowers and wrestlers.
4. William Richards' skill was expressed in a fairly accurate similarity of the work with the image of the photographs. Gained fame as a watercolor mountain landscape painter, and later a master of water paintings.

The best watercolorists in 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 art satire Honore Daumier.

1. Eugene Delacroix - head of the direction of romanticism in painting in Europe. He was elected to the Paris City Council and awarded an honorary order. The first work that declared his name was the painting "The Massacre of Chios", depicting the horrors of the Greek war of independence. Naturalism reached such a level of skill that critics accused his technique of being too natural.

2. PaulDelaroche is a painter who is a representative and member of the direction of academism. At the age of 36, he was elected to the post of professor teaching at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. The large-scale work of his entire life is the work "Semicircle", which contained 75 brilliant artists of the past.

3. Henri Arpinier is considered one of the best watercolorists in the world of landscape in France at that time. In addition to depicting nature, he worked in a portrait style. You can often see drawings of children in his work.

4. Honore Daumier was not only an artist, but also a graphic artist, sculptor, and caricature specialist. Once, for the work of "Gargantua", the figure was sent to serve a prison term. He gained fame thanks to cartoons on political, public and personal topics, depicting the successful people of France of his time.

Watercolor masters in Russia

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

Blood brothers of the Bryullov family were also famous for their talent. Carl was a watercolorist representing the trends of classicism with romanticism, and his older brother Alexander was not only an artist, but also an architect who owns many St. Petersburg projects.

In 1887, the organization PeaceArts”, consisting of Alexander Benois, Ivan Bilibin, Lev Bakst and artist Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva.

In the same year, the association "Society of Russian Watercolorists" begins to work, the first chairman of which was the above-mentioned Alexander Benois.

In the XX century, the range of domestic masters is growing. Some of the best watercolorists in the world from Russia are:

• Gerasimov Sergey;
• Zakharov Sergey;
• Tyrsa Nikolay;
• Deineka Alexander;
• Vedernikov Alexander;
• Vereisky George;
• Teterin Viktor;
• Zubreeva Maria and many other talented people.

Present

At the present time, the watercolor technique has not lost its significance and its possibilities continue to reveal more and more new faces. Many artists work on capricious and complex paint, below is a list of just some of the best watercolorists of our time.

1. Thomas Schaller is an American artist and architect. Regarding the watercolor, he admitted that he was in love with her for being able to express the unique voice of the artist. The thematic preferences of the best watercolorist in the world include architecture (urban landscape) and, of course, images of nature.

2. Thierry Duvall is an Italian watercolorist who has his own technique of applying paint, which allows you to depict the details and the whole picture incredibly realistic.

3. Stanisław Zoladz is a Polish artist specializing in hyperrealism. Creativity is interestingthat the author excludes the presence of a person and only details remind of his existence (boats, houses on the horizon or abandoned structures).

4. Arush Votsmush is a domestic watercolorist from Sevastopol. He calls his activity “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 in a very expressive way.

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

7. Joseph Zbukvich is a famous Australian artist. He compares his favorite paint with a wild horse, which he will never be able to curb to the end. Closer to his heart are the themes of the sea, as well as the opposite - the urban landscape.

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

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

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