Watercolors History

Many of us became conscious about the world of watercolors when we enter preschool. As a young student, you may have been asked to bring from home various art materials among them being crayons, thick pencils, colorful erasers and watercolors. Truly, our childhood days were filled with vivid colors and pictures. And you know what? The watercolor itself has a colorful history to share, too.

Watercolors is used both as a medium and a method: The artist did a watercolor of a rose using watercolors…

The manipulation of watercolor in history dates back to, at least, the paleolithic era – watercolor-based drawings have been found in the caves of early humans in Europe. These drawings are 32,000+ years old and included not only “decorations,” but portraits of an ongoing story of the people who thrived back then.

It is through drawings done in watercolor, that historians were able to figure out livelihood and concepts of people in the past. Watercolors were used as manuscript illuminations for the Egyptians, for example.

In the Renaissance, during the years bridging the 15th and 16th century, Albrecht Durer crafted paintings using the medium to produce botanical and wildlife landscapes. Durer was considered as one of the earliest proponents of watercolor as a medium, in the modern era. Eventually, his work led to the development of a school of watercolor painting in Germany which was spearheaded by Hans Bol, a contemporary of Durer.

Watercolor techniques were widely taught during the Baroque period and were commonly used by easel painters to make sketches and cartoons. The height of watercolor utilization, however, was through the production of wildlife and botanical paintings in the 19th century. The accuracy and the ability of the medium to condense and interpret wildlife and botanical scenes are still an important part of the painter’s toolbox for those illustrating scientific and museum publications.

It was not only in continental Europe, that watercolors dominated the painting world. By the 18th century, this kind of painting became very popular among the aristocrats and the elites of England. It was an art for the upper class of society.

Watercolor was noted as a good educational tool, especially for women, in the era, too. And then the workers realized that watercoloring were for them as well. People such as mapmakers, surveyors, architects and engineers used watercolors to draw terrains and other geological data and public projects. The subsequent demand for skillful watercolorists led to a hunt for “topographical painters” and finally artists had a “real job.”

Adding to that, watercolor based drawings were included in publications and manuscripts causing further growth of the medium. It was a great way to illustrate works of both fiction and non-fiction.

Through a combination of natural pigments, a binder such as arabic gum, additives and a solvent, watercolors have illustrated the history of humanity. Though it may seem a simple medium, it has evolved into a method of art that, in itself, launched changes in history. Water and colors have painted the world of the past, of today and will do so far into the future.

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A Little Watercolors History related articles from the blogosphere…

“The Artist's Eye: Vernon P. Johnson's Watercolors of 1950s Small …

In August, Johnson published a book, which (as one whose own book is a mixture of family history, and cultural history) looks to me to be very interesting. The book, The Artist’s Eye, pays tribute to the 1950s artwork of her father, …

Publish Date: 09/27/2010 15:07

http://andrewleefielding.blogspot.com/2010/09/artists-eye-vernon-p-johnsons.html

PICKED: Michele Banks' Biological Watercolors | Brain Pickings

Now, we’re utterly smitten by Artologica — a series of original watercolor paintings by artist Michele Banks exploring the beauty of natural phenomena, from cell division to tachycardia to bacteria. Heart Attack | Original watercolor …

Publish Date: 09/29/2010 8:00

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/09/29/michele-banks-artologica-watercolors/

History of Botanical Illustration and Flower Art

Floral art is strongly connected to illustration art, science, and nature. Pencil, pen and ink, and watercolors are used in botanical illustration. … History of Botanical Illustration and Flower Art …

Publish Date: 05/11/2010 10:02

http://www.suite101.com/content/history-of-botanical-illustration-and-flower-art-a236083

Traditional Chinese Painting – Chinese Flower Bird Painting – Watercolor. Yang O-shi inspired.

Traditional Chinese Painting – Chinese Flower Bird Painting – Watercolor.Chinese Bird Flower Painting. Flower Bird Landscapes. This evening I thought a severe Tea-Bird would pass the time. The paper is a single weight Chinese paper bought for me by M…