It’s just water, pigment, a little binder and paper. What’s so difficult in painting a brilliant watercolour? Sargent shows us how to do it.
Sargent
Pointing and gesturing in a selection of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Corot, Poussin, Gérôme, John Singer Sargent and others.
In the late 1890s, Sorolla painted two works showing the new science and technology of medical histology, and more scenes on the beach.
Canals from Sisley at the end of the 19th century, and paintings of Venice by Canaletto, Rico, and of course John Singer Sargent.
Good for watercolour and pastels alone? Paper and cardboard have also been used extensively for oil sketches, and more.
First popularised for use with glue tempera, ‘canvas’ quickly developed into the first choice for oils. In Venice, canvases as large as tennis courts were used by Veronese and Tintoretto.
Since the decline of egg tempera and fresco in the Renaissance, oil paints have predominated. They rely on drying oils as their binder, which give them longevity and versatility.
With a binder of gum arabic, watercolours came into use in the Renaissance, and have steadily increased in popularity.
In 1914, after a career painting the rich and famous, he became a war artist. For the next 4 years he showed what the Great War really looked like.
Royal portraits and history of the rich and famous – and a single gruesome work showing an episode now considered by some to be genocide.
