Watercolor still lifes of famous artists. Modern Russian watercolor
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Watercolor - (from French aquarelle - water, from Latin aqua - water) paint for painting. It contains finely ground pigment, and easily water-soluble vegetable adhesives - gum arabic and dextrin. Honey, sugar and glycerin retain moisture.
Watercolor is light, transparent, and at the same time complex. Does not tolerate correction. This paint has been known since ancient times. They were used in ancient egypt, ancient China and in the countries of the ancient world. Watercolor needs a special, porous paper. It was invented in China. The paint is easily absorbed into it. But the complexity in transparency - you can't overlap one color with another - will blend. It is impossible to correct a mistake, except to beat an accidentally appeared spot. Distinguish between water-color "wet" and water-color "dry brush". I love the first take. It is also called "a la prima". It is lighter, more transparent.
In Europe, watercolor painting came into use later than other types of painting. One of the Renaissance artists who achieved great success in watercolor painting was Albrecht Durer. An example of this is his work "Hare".
Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) Hare
Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) Common primrose, 1503. Washington, National Gallery Arts
In the 18th-19th centuries, thanks to Thomas Gurtin and Joseph Turner, watercolor became one of the critical species English painting.
Thomas Girtin, english artist(1775-1802) Savoy castle ruins
Thomas Gertin is a young artist, died at the age of 27, but he is rightfully called outstanding artist... He very quickly developed his own style: brushing aside some of the old canons, removing the limited in the drawing, he began to abandon the development foreground, sought to capture an open space, striving for panoramic view.
Turner. Courtyard Kirkby Lonsdale Church
The watercolorist also constantly improved his technique, studied the nature of the movement of water and air. By the beginning of the 19th century, in his watercolors, he achieved the strength and expressiveness usually inherent in oil painting. Discarding unnecessary detail, he created new type landscape, through which the artist revealed his memories and experiences.
The innovations of Gurtin, who began to use watercolors for large-format paintings, and Turner, who significantly enriched the watercolorist's arsenal of techniques, gave rise to a further rise in English watercolors in the work of landscape painters.
The English tradition of watercolors had a strong influence on Russian artists, especially those who were associated with the Imperial Academy of Arts, located in the capital of the empire - St. Petersburg.
The first name in the annals of Russian watercolors - Peter Fedorovich Sokolov.
He performed portraits of his contemporaries.
Watercolor painting of St. Petersburg and Russia reached an exceptional heyday in the last decade XIX and the first two decades of the twentieth century. At a time when there were still no photographs, the speed of execution, the minimum number of tedious posing sessions, the airiness of color - all this was needed Russian society... And therefore, it was watercolor that enjoyed success in its upper and middle layers.
Edward Petrovich Hau... Gatchina Palace LOWER THRONE HALL. 1877
Such painters as Ilya Repin, Mikhail Vrubel, Valentin Serov, Ivan Bilibin brought their original tribute to the art of watercolors.
Vrubel
V. Serov Portrait of I. Repin
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876-1942). On the river bank. Pencil, watercolor
An important stage in the development of Russian watercolors was the organization in 1887 of the "Society of Russian watercolors", which arose from the circle of watercolors. Regular watercolor exhibitions and the creation of the Society of Russian Watercolors (1887) contributed to the widespread dissemination of the technique and its status. The Society's program did not have an ideological orientation; representatives of different directions united by a passion for the art of watercolor. A. N. Benois was elected its first chairman. The society was actively involved in exhibitions, having held in 1896-1918. thirty-eight exhibitions. Its members were A. K. Beggrov, Albert Benois, P. D. Buchkin, N. N. Karazin, M. P. Klodt, L. F. Logario, A. I. Meshchersky, E. D. Polenova, A. P. Sokolov, P. P. Sokolov and others.
ALEXANDER BEGGROV Galera. Tver. 1867.
The task of preserving and transmitting the traditions of the watercolor school early XIX century and the preparation of the ground for a new take-off of watercolors "The Society of Russian Watercolors", undoubtedly, has fulfilled. Watercolors began to be perceived again as an independent area with its own language. visual arts... Many members of the Society became teachers for the next generation of artists.
The members of the World of Art association were also fascinated by watercolor painting. Alexandra Benois(1870-1960), Lev Bakst (1866-1924), Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942), Konstantin Somov (1869-1939), Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva (1871-1955). The poet Maximilian Voloshin (1877-1932) possessed watercolors, whose drawings overlapped with his poetic works.
Lev Samoilovich Bakst. Dancer from the ballet Firebird. 1910. Watercolor.
Ivan Bilibin
K. Somov. Bathers. 1904. Watercolor on paper.
Alexander Palace in Detskoe Selo (watercolor) PA Ostroimova-Lebedeva
Voloshin
Among the largest watercolors of the 20th century N. A. Tyrsa, S. V. Gerasimov, A. A. Deineka, S. E. Zakharov, M. A. Zubreeva, A. S. Vedernikov, G. S. Vereisky, P. D. Buchkin, V. M. Konashevich, N. F. Lapshin, V. V. Lebedev, G. K. Malysh, A. N. Samokhvalov, S. I. Pustovoitov, V. A. Vetrogonsky, V. S Klimashin, V. K. Teterin, A. I. Fonvizin and others.
Tyrsa N.A. Portrait of Anna Akhmatova. 1928 Black watercolor on paper
A.A. Deineka
Among the winners of the International Competition of Watercolor Painters in 2014 were two representatives of Russia, whose work we will see today.
Elena Bazanova is a world-renowned artist working in the watercolor technique.
She was born in 1968 in the town of Slantsy, Leningrad Region.
Graduated from the St. Petersburg Academic Art Lyceum. B.V. Ioganson and the Repin State Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (book graphics workshop).
Since 1989 he has been actively working with publishing houses in St. Petersburg, since 1996 he has been illustrating publications for children.
Since 1995 - a member of the Union of Artists of Russia.
Since 2006 - a member of the Society of Watercolors of St. Petersburg.
Works are in galleries and private collections in Russia, Germany, USA, France, England, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan.
Works were presented for the competition.
Winter. Apples.
Now Elena is a member of the Society of Watercolors of St. Petersburg, regularly participating in seasonal exhibitions of the Union of Artists, actively exhibiting both in Russia and abroad (in Great Britain, Germany, USA, Ireland). On account of her seven personal and participation in more than fifty collective exhibitions in Russia.
Since 2006 - a member of the Society of Watercolors of St. Petersburg.
Three apples.
Elena Bazanova talks about her work this way.
— Why did you choose watercolor?
It seems to me that I feel this material, it allows me to reveal its features in very complex pictorial tasks. It is this tension in the work that seems attractive to me, to control the elements of water and paint is the most exciting and intriguing in watercolor painting.
Strawberry bouquet.
Still life with corn
What techniques do you still use?
Thanks to the received education, I own the most different techniques... Of course, I do not use all of them all the time; unfortunately, I cannot grasp the immensity. I love making drawings with soft materials, when illustrating books I often use ink, pen and colored pencils. 
Daylilies.
Three apples.
Sunflowers
Climates
— What is your favorite genre of still life? But what about landscapes and portraits?
Yes, recent times I work a lot in the genre of still life. I also paint portraits of animals. I'd like to do new series landscapes and work with portraits of people. So my plans are to expand the boundaries of the genre.
Sketch with strawberries.
Still life
You have illustrated " Alice in Wonderland with". These works are not at all like your still lifes.
I do not consider myself one of the artists who constantly impose their style on the subject depicted, illustrated in the book. I move along the path of creating an image, based on the essence of what is the subject of the image or illustration. From this, various plastic solutions appear. The illustration should not create a barrier to the perception of the text, especially in a children's book.
My experience in book illustration big enough. Starting with student projects, I tried to achieve maximum unity of illustrations with the text and idea of the author.
Still life with red currants.
Peas. 
Still life with peaches
Cherry 
Dusya
:
Dmitry Rodzin was born in 1969 in Krasnodar.
In 1988 he graduated from the Krasnodar Art School.
1991-1997 - studied at the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in the workshop historical painting (graduate work- "The expulsion of the merchants from the temple").
Among the works are historical and genre compositions, portraits, landscapes, still lifes, interior design, book graphics.
Participant of exhibitions since 1993
Personal exhibition "After tradition" took place in 2002 at the branch of the State Central Theater Museum named after A.A. Bakhrushina (Moscow).
He currently lives and works in Moscow.
The work was presented at the competition.
Summer. Ksenia and Sonechka.
Live lilies, dry roses and netsuke
Sonya.
Recreation.
Children's images are one of Dmitry's favorite themes. In his paintings - thoughts and emotions little man, his growing up, the beginning of the knowledge of the world. In a number of watercolors, the artist develops the theme of reflections. They create a double illusion: the illusion of three-dimensionality in a two-dimensional mirror and the illusion of three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional sheet of paper.
Autumn
Curiosity.
Windows
Cross.
Birthday
Petunia.
Just a sketch.
From shadow to light.
Izmailovsky Park. February
Arbat.
Chernigovsky lane.
Dmitry Rodzin works a lot in the genre monumental painting... His paintings are located, in particular, in the President's residence. Russian Federation, The House of Receptions of the President of the Russian Federation, the residence of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Convent.
Sources.
http://cleargallery.ru/gallery/open/aid-223
- What are the global trends in the art of watercolor?
- What is most appreciated in watercolor?
- Who is the most popular artist in the world?
Perhaps the best answer to this question is I international competition Watercolors(The 1st World Watercolor Competition), held popular magazine“The Art of Watercolor”.
1615 artists took part in the competition. 1891 watercolors were presented. The jury first selected 295 semi-finalists, and then 23 finalists. 7 artists were awarded with the prizes of the winners.
The works of all participants are published in the competition catalog.
And this gives a wonderful opportunity to see the "face" - best watercolors 2014 year.
First of all, when I looked through the directory, I saw the following:
The best watercolors in the world: main trends
Landscapes, as always, in the majority. Especially urban. And if they are somehow unusually presented, then they may well end up in the finale.
Like this work by William Hook, an artist from the USA:
One of the most popular themes is portraits of old people.
I would like to think that this is from universal love and respect for the elderly, from interest in their life from the desire to understand what they live, to see the imprint of time on their faces.
Here are a couple of catalog pages:
Or maybe the topic is raised by many, since the artist is a reflection public conscience... And often artists reflect acute social problems in their paintings ...
Yes, the topic of national minorities and emigrants, by the way, also often pops up…
Be that as it may, among the 7 winning works, two are portraits of old people.
First place, winner of the competition - Cheng-Wen Cheng, an artist from Taiwan with the painting "Loving Mother":
The silver medal of the competition went to the Chinese artist Guan Weixing for the painting "Old Man Smoking":
Are you already wondering who won the Bronze Medal? ..
In third place - (rejoice, Celestial Empire!) Chinese artist Liu Yi. I think many are familiar with his work from compositions with ballerinas.
The work "Chinese girl" was presented at the competition:
I do not know about you, but I see in this good sign... East and West become closer friend friend. Oriental artists paint in the traditional European manner, while Europeans, on the contrary, study gohua and sumi-e, draw geisha and sakura ... There are also such examples in the catalog.
For example, here's a watercolor by Argentine artist Stella Escalante:
By the way, one more observation - there are VERY few watercolors with flowers... The entire catalog with more than 1800 works and 30 pieces will not be typed ...
Moreover, most of them are in the second part of the catalog, “in the slag,” as I called it. What else can you call the excluded authors, whose watercolors did not qualify for the semifinals? Slag is.
My work, by the way, is also in this row ... 🙂 Here are a couple of these “gray” pages, opened at random:
On the gray pages, for the most part there are some kind of amateur work, with an inferior drawing and poor technique.
However, there are also very good ones, famous artists... But the jury did not appreciate them.
It was difficult for him, the jury ... It's always a question - how to judge? What to take as a yardstick?
And if with a weak pattern and composition in general everything is clear, there are no questions - straight into the slag, then among the professionals you already have to think.
What to put at the forefront? Socially significant topics? Realism? Technological innovation? Or, on the contrary, loyalty to tradition?
Of course, artists are asking the same questions. Participation in the competition is an opportunity to look at your work from the outside. Who am I? Where am I going? Where am I among other artists? Are people interested in what is interesting to me?
It was these questions that prompted me to submit watercolors to the competition, which are not completely clear to me myself. This is an energetic painting. Works that preserve a certain energy-informational component.
Marina Trushnikova. "Crystal World"
I featured this watercolor on my blog a year ago. You may remember the practice I suggested. There were a lot of comments that made me understand that people are now more sensitive in their perception. And what we call abstraction can give us the most different feelings and memories.
Unfortunately, with the change of the site, comments disappeared as well. If you want, try this practice on yourself, write your impressions. It's here:
And we will return to the “white” and “black” pages of the catalog.
The best watercolors are placed on white - the works of the semi-finalists. It was nice to see Konstantin Sterkhov, Evgeny Kisnichan, Ilya Ibryayev there.
And it was even more pleasant to contemplate among the 23 finalists of our compatriots Elena Bazanova and Dmitry Rodzin.
Elena Bazanova. "End of winter 2012. Apples"
Dmitry Rodzin. "Summer"
As you can see most of the finalists' works are very realistic.
For example, here's a watercolor by the Lithuanian artist Egle Lipeikaite:
Or here is the Frenchman Georges Artaud, he received the prize in the category "Best French Artist":
Downright meditation on water ... I like it. Everything is nicer than looking at the work of another finalist, American artist Andrew Kish III.
Watercolors are considered one of the most capricious and temperamental colors, despite their simplicity and transparency. Children begin to master drawing with watercolors, but how many people know how great the power of this harmless paint really is?
A brief history: the beginning of development
The best watercolors in the world were able to create their masterpieces thanks to China, where, after the invention of paper, which happened in the II century AD. e., watercolor technique got the opportunity to develop.
In Europe, the first rudiments appeared in the countries of Italy and Spain, when paper products appeared there (XII-XIII centuries).
Watercolor art came into use later than other types of painting. One of the most famous first works, considered exemplary, was the painting "Hare" by the best watercolourist in the world of the Renaissance - Albrecht Durer in 1502.
Then the artists Giovanni Castiglione, as well as Anthony van Dyck, began to study the technique of watercolors, but samples of work in such a technique continued to remain at a single level - a fact that Montabert confirmed in his treatise on painting. Mentioning watercolors, he did not go into details, as he believed that this technique did not deserve serious professional attention.
However, the watercolor technique got its need in scientific and military research, when archaeologists and geologists needed to capture the objects under study (animals, plants, nature in general), as well as create topographic and architectural schemes.
Rise
V XVIII century, closer to the middle, watercolor technique has become an entertainment in the circles of amateur draftsmen. This event was influenced by the published notes of Gilpin William Sowry, in which he described the provinces of England.
Also, by this time, the fashion for portrait miniatures had spread, which dilettantes-artists began to dare to study using the watercolor technique.
The best watercolors in the world of the 18th and 19th centuries
The real flowering of watercolor, which turned it into the main and significant example of painting in England, occurred at the moment when two artists, Thomas Gertin and Joseph Turner, applied to this case your talented hands.
In 1804, thanks to Turner, an organization called the "Society of Watercolors" was created.
Early work landscape illustrations by Gertin were traditional in relation to English school, however, gradually he was able to develop a much wider and larger-scale romantic direction of the landscape. Thomas started using watercolor for the larger format.
The second best watercolorist in the world Joseph Turner became the youngest artist to receive the status He was able to create his own and therefore the new kind landscape, with the help of which he had the opportunity to reveal his memories and feelings. Thus, Turner managed to enrich the armada watercolor technician.
To his big name Joseph is also indebted to the writer John Ruskin, who, through his writings, was able to declare Turner the most important artist of his era.
Merit
The activities of the above two geniuses influenced the vision of art of such figures as
- landscape painters David Cox and Richard Bunington;
- the world's best watercolorist-architect Semuel Prout;
- still life professionals Semuel Parterre, William Hunt, Miles Foster, John Lewis and the girl Lucy Madox, and many others.
Watercolor in the United States
The flowering of watercolors in America falls on mid XIX century, when the best watercolors of the world, such as Thomas Roman, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and William Richards, advocate this type of painting.
- Thomas Roman's role was to help create Yellowstone national park... At Cook's suggestion, Thomas agreed to participate in the geological research work going to the Yellowstone region. His drawings aroused great public interest, which led to the inclusion of the region on the list. national treasures parks.
- Winslow Homer was one of the founders of American realism painting. Managed to create his own art school... According to most experts, he was one of the best landscape watercolors in the world, who influenced the further (XX century) development of American painting.
- Thomas Eakins was also involved in the emergence of realism in painting along with the master Homer mentioned above. The artist was fond of the mechanism of work human body, because the theme of nude and half-naked figures in the work of Eakins occupied leading place... In his works, athletes were often depicted, and even more precisely, rowers and wrestlers.
- The skill of William Richards was expressed in a fairly accurate resemblance of the work to the depiction of photographs. He gained fame as a watercolor mountain landscape painter, and later a master of water paintings.
The best watercolors in the world in France
The spread of watercolor art in France is associated with such names as Eugene Delacroix, Paul Delaroche, Henri Arpigne and the professional artistic satire Honore Daumier.
1. Eugene Delacroix - the head of the direction of romanticism in European painting. Was elected to the Paris city council and awarded an honorary order. The first work to claim his name was The Massacre of Chios, depicting the horrors of the Greek War of Independence. Naturalism was so proficient that critics accused his technique of being overly natural.
2. Paul Delaroche is a painter who is a representative and member of the academic movement. At 36, he was elected to the post of professor teaching at the School of Fine Arts in the city of Paris. A large-scale work of his entire life is the work "Semicircle", which included 75 brilliant artists past tense.
3. Henri Arpigne is considered one of the best landscape watercolors in France at that time. In addition to depicting nature, he worked in a portrait style. In his work, you can often see drawings of children.
4. Honore Daumier was not only an artist, but also a graphic artist, sculptor, and also a specialist in caricature. Once for the work of "Gargantua" the activist was sent to serve a prison term. He gained fame for caricatures on political, social and personal topics, depicting successful people France of its time.
Watercolor masters in Russia
The founder and discoverer of Russian watercolors is considered to be Pyotr Fedorovich Sokolov, one of the best watercolors in the world. He was the progenitor of the domestic watercolor portrait, and was also one of the academicians Imperial Academy Arts in St. Petersburg.
The blood brothers of the Bryullov family were also famous for their talent. Karl was a watercolorist representing the trends of classicism with romanticism, and his older brother Alexander was not only an artist, but also an architect, who owned many St. Petersburg projects.
In 1887, the World of Art organization was formed, consisting of Ivan Bilibin and the artist Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva.
In the same year, the association "Society of Russian watercolors" began to work, the first chairman of which was the aforementioned Alexander Benois.
In the 20th century, the range of Russian craftsmen is growing. Some of the best watercolors in the world from Russia are:
- Gerasimov Sergey;
- Zakharov Sergey;
- Tyrsa Nikolay;
- Vedernikov Alexander;
- Vereisky Georgy;
- Teterin Victor;
- Zubreeva Maria and many other talented figures.
Present time
At the present time, the watercolor technique has not lost its significance and its capabilities continue to reveal more and more new faces. Many figures are working on capricious and complex paint, below will be a list of only some of the best watercolors of our time.
1. Thomas Schaller is an American artist and architect. Regarding watercolors, he admitted that he was in love with her for being able to express the artist's unique voice. The thematic preferences of the best watercolourist in the world include architecture (cityscape) and, of course, images of nature.
2. Thierry Duval is an Italian watercolorist who has his own technique of applying paint, which allows him to depict details and the picture as a whole incredibly realistically.
3. Stanislav Zoladz - Polish artist specializing in hyperrealism. Creativity is interesting in that the author excludes the presence of a person and only details (boats, houses on the horizon or abandoned structures) remind of his existence.
4. Arush Votsmush is a domestic watercolorist from Sevastopol. He calls his activity "the pure drug of creativity."
5. Anna Armona is an artist from Ukraine. Her works are very daring, as she is a lover of colors, she uses them very expressively.
6. Pavel Dmoh is another watercolorist from Poland. Depicts a real cityscape, combining shadow and light with interior, exterior and architecture.
7. Joseph Zbukvich is the most famous Australian artist. He compares his favorite paint to a wild horse, which can never be curbed to the end. Closer to his heart are the themes of the sea, as well as the opposite - the urban landscape.
Below is a photo of the best watercolorist in the world with his work.
Imagine: he was able to create one of his incredible works with just one paint - instant coffee.
8. Mary White - American artist, who is one of the best portrait watercolors in the world. Her paintings display the most different personalities: seniors, children, African Americans, women, workers and others.