Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/407

* WATER-COLOR PAINTING. S.-JT WATER-COLOR PAINTING. WATER -COLOR PAINTING (AQUA- RELLE). Tlu' procoss nl" jiiiiiit iii;4 ]iy iiii'iins of colors mixed with water anil soiiie adhesive, as gum or size, instead of oil. The term is now gen- erally used for such painting upon paper which shows through as a ground. It dillers from gouache painting, in which the color is applied in successive layers, as in oil. The jjrocesses of painting in vogue before the introduction of oil colors were, for the most part, varieties of water-color, as, for example, fresco-painting (q.v. ), in which water-colors are applied to the wet line of the plaster, and tomiiera (q.v.). For the technique of painting among the Egyptians, (irecks, and other ancient peoples, whose works, although they made use of water-colors, are not aquarelles in the modern sense, see Painting, Egyptian Art, etc. In early Christian miniatures and book illus- trations water-color was the medium usually employed. They were designed with the silver point, drawn with the pen, and then ccjlorcd with light tints. During the Byzantine and Roman- esque periods the more elaborate gouache tech- nique was preferred, but the Gothic age saw a revival of the aquarelle. From the treatise of Cennini, a disciple of Giotto, we know that these illuminators had greatly advanced upon their predecessors; they had an elementary knowledge of light and shadow and used about the same variety of colors as contemporary panel paint- ers. In the later fifteenth century water-colors were extensively used in the coloring of prints from wood engravings, and to some extent of those from line engravings, a practice which lin- gered until the seventeenth century. They w-ere also extensively used during this period in draw- ings and in colored sketches by man}- of the prin- cipal masters. Such, indeed, was the origin of modern water- color. It was the custom of Durer, and certain of the German, Dutch, and Flemish artists, to outline drawings with a reed pen and fdl in those outlines with an auxiliary Hat wash. Gradually the hard lines were replaced by touclics with the l)rusli, and the result was a monochrome in l)rowns, and grays, bistre, or India ink. These again came to be tinted, and so suggested the full use of colors. Rembrandt often drew in brown, and added dashes of strong color; and Rubens produced something very like modern water- color drawings. The modern art became emanci- pated from the old traditions by "gradual dis- use of the old shadow tint, and imitation of the local color, not alone of the objects themselves, but of every modification resulting from light, dark, half-tint, or distance, a method which at once led to far greater truth and richness than could ever have been attained by merely passing color over the universal shadow tint." The stained drawing gradually gave way to the more perfect tinted drawing. IBut the tinted style pre- dominated till 17nO; and it may be said that the water-colors of the eighteenth century were tinted monochromes. Artists who iised the stained and tinted manner were Malton (1726- ISOl), Paul Sandy ( 1 "-2.5- 1809) . often called, though without justification, 'the father of water- color art:' also (all in the last half of the eighteenth century) Grimm, Webber. Clevely, Pars, and Rooker. Wheatley. Westall. and Gil- pin used water-colors as well as oil. Rowland- son, Cristall, ilills, Wright, Mortimer, Grease, Ilearne, .T. R. Cozens, and Dayes greatly pro- moted the growing art. Nicholas Pocock ( 1741)- IS.'il) displayed a new richness and force. John Smith first advanced beyond the weakness of mere tinting. Thomas Girtin ( 1 77.')-lH02) at- tained great richness of tone and breadth ; his compositions were grand but simple; he massed light and shade in broad anil sometimes abrupt forms. J. M. W. Turner ( 177r)-18,")l ) soon dis- tanced all his predecessors and contemporaries, and in his hands water-color painting became a new art. He wholly abandoned preliminary tint- ing; minute details are imitated in local color; and his work is marked by breadth, fullness, and warmth, as well as grace. Other important names are those of Varley, Samuel Front, Peter de Wint, Cotnum. David Cox, Copley Fielding, Hunt, Cattermole, Lewis, Birkct, Foster, Herkomcr, Burne-.Jones. Walter Crane, etc. The impetus toward water-color in France first came in the early twenties from the English- man lionington and from Gericault. It was soon practiced by all important artists, among whom Delacroix, Isabey, and especially Decamps achieved most remarkable results. Among cele- brated French aquarellists of a later date were Leloir, Meissonicr, Regnault, Detaille, and Vibert, among figure painters: and .Jaqueniart, Harpi- gnies, Frani.'ais, and others among landscapists. The very popular fan ])ainting upon silk and satin is done with water-colors, which have lately been applied, with high success, to paint- ings upon canvas and other materials as well. In Germany water-colors were used by Schwind with great effect in the por- trayal of his dream-like fables, but the first im- portant German aquarellist was Hildebrandt, a pupil of Isabey. Other important representatives are Menzel in Berlin. Karl Werner, and Fielder (Triest). Both in Holland (Israels) and Bel- gium are fiourishing schools, and in Spain and Italy the example of Fortuny gave rise to a particularly brilliant development. In the exhibitions of water-color paintings yearly held in the United States, particularly in New York, great variety in technique and sub- ject is seen, but no distinctive American 'school' has as yet been developed. Among the artists prominent in figure painting are Winslow Homer, William M. Chase. C. Y. Turner, Robert Blum, Irving R. Wiles, Thure de Thulstrup. and Mrs. Rhoda Holmes Nichols; in landscape may be mentioned Alexander Wyant. J. Francis Mur- phy, Samuel Coleman, R. Swain GifTord. Henry Farrar, and Childe Hassam : in marine paint- ing, William T. Richards and Charles A. Piatt; and in architecture, Harry Fenn and Hughson Hawley. At present water-color paintings may be divid- ed into three kinds: (1) those in which the col- oring is mainly transparent; (2) where it is usually op:que: (3) where transparent, semi- transparent, and opaque colors are freely used in combination. The quick drying of water-color pigments is favorable to rapid execution, and greater clearness of color is attained than is prac- ticable in oils. They are especially adapted to sketches of all kinds, and the rendering of fugi- tive impressions, and retain color far better than oil paintings. The progress of the art has been greatly promoted by modern chemical develop-