The Golden Age of British Watercolor in the 18th and 19th ...

[Pages:3]TheGoldenAgeofBritishWatercolorinthe18thand19thCenturies ByDr.PatriciaCrown

OneofthemoststrikingaccomplishmentsofBritishartwasthedevelopmentofwatercolor paintingbeginninginthesecondhalfofthel8thcentury.Britainproducedworksoftruly remarkablequantity,qualityandvarietythroughoutthel8thand19thcenturies.Someofthe bestpaintinginEuropewasdoneinthismediumduringthisperiod.Englishwatercolorshadan internationalreputation:FrenchpainterslikeDelacroix,forinstance,wereadmiringimitators ofBritishwatercolorsubjectsandtechniques.Theuniquesparkle,brilliance,andvivacityof surfacethatcouldbeachievedbytransparentwashorcombinationsusingtransparent techniquesopeneduppossibilitiesofaverydifferentsortthanthatwhichhadbeenexploredin oilpainting. Thewatercolormediumhadpracticalroots;itwasportableandquickdrying.Pen-and-wash drawingsofspecificplaces,buildings,landscapefeaturesandfortificationswerecommissioned bythemilitary;studiesoftopography,flora,fauna,andexoticpeopleswereusefulrecordsof voyagesofexplorationandservedcommercialandscientificinterests.Asthepracticeof travelingforpleasure?tourism-developedinthel8thcentury,touristsmadeorbought watercolordrawingsofplacesthattheyhadbeenorwantedtogo.Thesmallscale,often quicklyexecutedimages,functionedthenaspostcardsorphotographsdofortravelerstoday. Watercolorpaintingbecamevirtuallysynonymouswithlandscapepaintinginthelatel8thand early19thcenturies.Itbecameevidentthatwatercolorwassuitedtocapturethemutabilityof Englishweather,itsfleetingandshiftingatmosphericeffects,subtletransitionsoflightandhalf- light,andtheopalescenceofwater,cloudsandmists.Becauseofitsfundamentalliquidity, watercolorwasregardedasanunrulymediumrequiringspecialskillsandconcentration.For sometherecurringadventureofwatercolorpaintingbecamepartofitsallure,otherssoughtto subdueandcontrolit. In1804theformationofTheSocietyofPaintersinWater-Colours(laterknownastheOld WaterColourSociety)broughtintoexistencethefirstprofessionalartists'groupsincethe creationoftheRoyalAcademyin1768.TheSocietywasthefirsttodefineitselfbymedium. WatercolorartistsseparatedthemselvesfromtheRoyalAcademybecausetheAcademy regardedwatercolortobeofsecondarystatusincomparisonwithoilpainting.In1831The InstituteofPaintersinWaterColours(TheNewWaterColourSociety)wasestablishedbecause theOldWaterColourSocietywasregardedastooexclusive:forinstance"amateurs"(aterm verytrickytodefinethenasnow)werenotallowedmembershipforfeartheprofessional statusofthegroupmightbecompromised. Amateursketchingsocietieshadbeenformedinthelate18thcenturyandcontinuedintothe 19thcentury.J.M.W.Turner,ThomasGirtinandThomasVarleyaresomedistinguishedpainters whoatonetimeoranotherwerepartofsuchsocieties.Thepopularityofdrawingin

watercolorwasenhancedbyitsbeingregardedasapolitesocialaccomplishmentforwomenof thearistocracyandtheuppermiddleclasses.QueenVictoria,forinstance,tookdrawing lessonsfromEdwardLear(theauthorof"TheOwlandthePussyCat"wasalsoanaccomplished landscapepainterinwatercolor)andsheappointedanofficial"PainterinWatercolour"to teachherchildren.In1863shedecreedthattheNewWaterColourSocietybeknownasthe RoyalInstituteofPaintersinWatercolours,andin1863thattheOldWaterColourSocietybe officiallyknownastheRoyalSocietyofPaintersinWaterColours. Therewereseveralregionalschoolsandsocieties;theNorwichSocietyofArtists,establishedin 1803,beingthemostprominentandJohnSellCotman'sworksbeingthebestknown.In contrasttotheblurredoutlinesandmistyeffectscharacteristicofmostlandscapepaintinghe createdasystemoftonalcontrasts,transparentflatwashestendingtowardabstract simplificationwithpreciseoutlinesaccentedwithpencilorthinbandsofwhiteunpainted paper. Later19thcenturywatercolorpaintingcontinuedandelaboratedtheachievementsofthe landscapepainters.Inadditionmoreanddifferentsubjectmatterproliferated.Detailedand exactstudiesofplants,birds,androcksshowedthatwatercoloristscouldpaintwithalmost photographicprecision.Picturesofvillagegardensorcitystreetspopulatedwithlivelyfigures weremuchadmired.PainterssuchasWilliamHenryHuntmadeuseofstippling,white highlightsandopaquebody-color,producingworksthatdisplayedthedepthandfinishof traditionaloilpainting.Watercolorscametobeassociatedwithakindofartthatwas aestheticallyandfinanciallyaccessibletomiddleclasscollectors. LiteraryillustrationhadlongbeenoneofthespecialtiesofBritishart.WilliamBlake's watercolorillustrationstohisownpoemswerehighlyoriginal.Wenowtakeforgrantedartistic imaginativefreedom;howeveritwasarevolutionarynotionatthebeginningofthe19th century.UsingwatercolorBlake,likeotherpoet-paintersafterhim,gavefreereintohis imagination,distortinganatomy,spaceandcolorincreativeways.Hewasinspiredbythepre- renaissanceartofgothicmanuscriptillustrationswhichhadbeenexecutedintransparentand opaquewatercolor.Thismedievalsourcealsoinfluencedpoet-painterssuchasDante,Gabriel RossetteandWilliamMorristoillustratetheirownworks,manyofwhichhadmedieval subjects. Bythelate19thcenturywatercolorwasintegratedintogeneralartisticproduction,ratherthan beingrelegatedtoaspecialandseparatepractice.Insomecasesitbecameassociatedwiththe avantgardeofEuropeanart:forinstanceinthe1880'sJamesMcNeillWhistlerexhibiteda groupofalmostabstractlandscapewatercolorswhichowedsomethingtoWhistler's knowledgeofJapaneseartandoftheworkoftheFrenchimpressionists.Whistlerisafigure whomarksthecloserelationshipbetweenBritishandAmericanwatercolorart,andits developmentinthe20thcentury.

PatriciaCrownreceivedherPhDfromUCLA.ShehasbeenaProfessorofl8thand19thCenturyArtHistoryand Women'sStudiesattheUniversityofMissouri-ColumbiaandhastaughtseminarsinBritishArt,J.M.W.Turner, LandscapePaintingandPre-RaphaelitePaintingandDesign.Sheisapainterinwatercolors

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