Colored watercolor paintings. The best watercolors in the world: main trends
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-Diveyevo Convent.
Sources.
http://cleargallery.ru/gallery/open/aid-223
Watercolors are often called the most naughty, most capricious paint. It is difficult to work with it, it is difficult to store it, it is unpredictable and requires maximum concentration from the artist. But those who managed to conquer and tame her know the secret of creating truly amazing works, looking at which you ask yourself the only question: "To whom did they sell their souls to paint like this?"
Emotional Realism by Steve Hanks
The faces of people in most of the artist's paintings are darkened or turned to the side. This is done in order to express emotions and for the body to "speak". “I have always tried to show the world only the positive moments of life. I hope my work brings joy, peace and comfort to the viewer's life, ”says Hanks.
Rainy watercolor Lin Ching Che
The talented artist Lin Ching-Che is 27 years old. He is inspired by the autumn rain. Cloudy city streets cause the guy not to feel melancholy and despondency, but to take a brush in his hands. Lin Ching Che paints paintings in watercolors. With multi-colored water, he glorifies the rainy beauty of megacities.
The seething fantasy of Arusha Votsmush
- 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 it gives a wonderful opportunity to see the "face" - the best watercolors of 2014.
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 more pleasant than looking at the work of another finalist, American artist Andrew Kish III.
A medicine for those who are tired of trash and fuss. In a world where tons of informational garbage are dumped on us every day, sometimes you really want to give up everything, breathe full breast and stop your gaze on something calm, which does not cause any irritation or discomfort. We believe that best rest for the mind and sight, it is immersion in the world of art. In this review, we have collected such works of watercolors that will fill you with silence and become a gulp fresh air on a hot city day.
Travel to Paris with Thierry Duvall
Paris-born artist Thierry Duval traveled extensively. Hence the presence of whole series of paintings "geographically." Nevertheless, Paris was and remains the author's favorite place. The lion's share of the works is dedicated specifically to the city of lovers. Duval paints paintings exclusively in watercolors. At the same time, he has his own technique of multi-layer paint application, which allows him to create paintings with almost hyper-realistic detail. Hot Afternoon of Kant Harusaki
Kanta Harusaki is a Japanese watercolorist born in Kumamoto who began working in watercolor at the age of 32. Harusaki loves to paint using a wet brush, but keeping the drawing correct. He knows how to masterfully and reliably convey the most transparent light color, as well as light and space. Spectators admire the artist's ability to convey the clear contours of highlights and foliage, combining this with the technique of "wet". Living water by David Drummond
David Drummond - american artist Who fell in love with the Powell Reservoir landscape 20 years ago. Now he never gets tired of exploring every corner of it amazing place and capture it with watercolors. Drummond is interested in different states of water, the "mood" of nature and changes in it. As a holder of a degree in physics, Drummond approaches creativity with all scientific responsibility, which is why his watercolors seem so vivid and realistic. Rustic Morning by Christian Graniu
Frenchman Christian Graniou often depicts provincial landscapes in his paintings. Despite the fact that detailed drawing does not appeal to him, and the light is distributed throughout the space, the artist's works evoke a feeling of spaciousness and fullness of air. Evening tranquility of Joseph Zbukvich
Today the Australian of Croatian descent Joseph Zbukvic is considered one of the pillars of watercolor drawing worldwide. The artist fell in love with watercolor literally from the first stroke, he was struck by the untamed and individuality of this technique. He believes that she lives own life... It is impossible to learn it, there is no way to control the behavior of the watercolor. Only go around like a wild horse. And every day again. Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for
that you discover this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and the goosebumps.
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Watercolors are often called the most naughty, most capricious paint. It is difficult to work with it, it is difficult to store it, it is unpredictable and requires maximum concentration from the artist. But those who managed to conquer and tame her know the secret of creating truly amazing works, looking at which you ask yourself the only question: "To whom did they sell their souls to paint like this?"
site invites you to the gallery of truly atmospheric, bright and talented works. This is exactly modern Art, who is not ashamed to confess his love.
Emotional Realism by Steve Hanks
The faces of people in most of the artist's paintings are darkened or turned to the side. This is done in order to express emotions and for the body to "speak". “I have always tried to show the world only the positive moments of life. I hope my work brings joy, peace and comfort to the viewer's life, ”says Hanks.
Rainy watercolor Lin Ching Che
The talented artist Lin Ching-Che is 27 years old. He is inspired by the autumn rain. Cloudy city streets cause the guy not to feel melancholy and despondency, but to take a brush in his hands. Lin Ching Che paints paintings in watercolors. With multi-colored water, he glorifies the rainy beauty of megacities.
The seething fantasy of Arusha Votsmush
Under the pseudonym Arush Votsmush is hiding talented painter from Sevastopol Alexander Shumtsov. The artist says about his paintings: “I am not trying to prove anything to anyone with my works. I enjoy first of all. This is the pure drug of creativity. Or a clean life - no doping. It's just a miracle. "
The charm of Paris in the works of Thierry Duval
Paris-born artist Thierry Duval traveled extensively. Hence the presence of whole series of paintings on the "geographical basis". Nevertheless, Paris was and remains the author's favorite place. The lion's share of the works is dedicated specifically to the city of lovers. He has his own technique of multi-layered watercolor painting, which allows him to create paintings with almost hyper-realistic detail.
Evening tranquility of Joseph Zbukvich
Today, Croatian Australian Joseph Zbukvic is considered one of the pillars of watercolor painting throughout the world. The artist fell in love with watercolor literally from the first stroke, he was struck by the untamed and individuality of this technique.
Secrets of the East through the eyes of Myo Vin Ong
The artist Myoe Win Aung devoted all his work to his native Burma, its everyday life and holidays, laity and monks, villages and cities. This world is calm, dressed in gentle tones, mysterious and slightly pensive, like the smile of Buddha.
Joe Francis Dowden's incredible watercolor
English artist Joe Francis Dowden paints hyper-realistic watercolors. And he believes that everyone can do it, you just need to know the secrets of technology. The secret of his inspiration is extremely simple: "Throw away the watercolor textbooks and get lost in the real forest."
The magic of ballet by Liu Yi
The watercolors of this Chinese artist can be safely called art about art. After all, his favorite theme is the images of people who are directly related to him, for example, ballerinas or classical musicians. The way they are presented in the paintings is peculiar: people seem to emerge from a thin haze, emotional and very characteristic. To some extent, they resonate with the images of ballerinas. French artist Edgar Degas.