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Watercolor painting uses water-soluble pigments which are either transparent or opaque. It is often thought of as a fugitive medium because its ground is paper, but the medium actually rivals oils in its durability and longevity. It utilizes the brilliant white of the paper for its whites and pale tints. |
Watercolor was created in its present form by the Chinese about 100 A.D. The forerunner of watercolor painting as we know it today, on paper, was buon fresco -- wall painting using watercolor paints on fresh plaster, such as the techniques used to paint the Sistine Chapel. Albert Durer (1471-1528) painted in watercolor, influenced by the first school of watercolor painting established by Hans Bol (1534-1593).
When permanent colors are used on pure rag watercolor and the painting is kept under normal conditions as other objects of art, the technique is as permanent as any other medium. Contrary to popular myth, the colors are not subject to fading from sunlight -- semi-permanent and borderline pigments will fade but at no greater rate than the same pigments in other media.
In America, watercolor sketches were created by "explorer artists," such as George Catlin (1796-1870), who used the medium to document their travels in the territories -- and it was also widely used during the Civil War for documenting battle scenes. While American artists of the 19th century regarded watercolor as a sketching tool, British artists had already elevated it to a serious medium by the mid-1700s. It wasn't until Homer Winslow's watercolor paintings that American artists accepted it as a medium onto its own.
Today, it is the favored of painters, including famous artists such as Andrew Wyeth, prized for its luminous colors, adaptability for a variety of techniques, and fast-drying properties.
