Watercolor

A watercolor is a picture that is painted with non-opaque watercolors. These paints consist of fine pigments, water-soluble binders such as gum arabic, tragacanth or dextrins as well as wetting and humectants. They are only diluted with water and applied to paper, parchment or other materials with a brush. In contrast to gouache and tempera, the white ground shimmers through the colors in watercolor, which lends depth and luminosity. The color effect is created by layering thin layers of paint on top of each other or by working “wet on wet” and by using particularly finely grated pigments. These pigments are so fine that they are absorbed by the paper fibers, resulting in a “fragrant” appearance. In contrast to oil or tempera painting, where the painting or binding agent binds the pigments together and to the primer, in watercolor the binding agents only have a protective function to prevent the pigments from clotting or flaking. For white areas or highlights, the paper tone is left untouched.

Watercolor painting is one of the oldest painting techniques. As early as the second millennium BC, Egyptian artists used this technique to illustrate books of the dead. Painted papyrus from ancient Egypt and pictures and calligraphy with water-soluble inks from Asia have been preserved. In the late Middle Ages, the technique was initially used to color outline drawings and prints. It was not until the young Albrecht Dürer recognized the unique possibilities of watercolour and brought it to technical mastery. In the course of the 19th century, watercolor painting experienced a rediscovery, particularly in England through the promotion of the Water Colour Societies. Numerous well-known painters such as Eugène Delacroix, Paul Cézanne, Emil Nolde and Christian Modersohn created independent works of art in watercolor. August Macke painted watercolors during his trip to Tunis in 1914, which are considered the pinnacle of European painting.

Numerous techniques are used in watercolor painting, including glazing and wash. The most commonly used painting surface is paper, which must be absorbent and have a rough texture. Nowadays, special watercolor papers are used on which optimal results can be achieved. Painting is usually done with a brush made of red sable hair or synthetic fibers, using various brush movements such as dabbing, twisting or line thicknesses. An important element of watercolor painting is working with the primary colors, whereby the colors are usually painted over in glazed layers. When creating a picture, the artist starts with delicate and light shades and works towards darker colors. The painting ground is included in the composition, whereby white areas can remain untouched in order to achieve light effects. Various techniques such as granulation, stippling or working “wet on wet” lead to different pictorial effects and structures.