Watercolour - Michael Clarke

First used in prehistoric cave paintings
watercolour is a uniquely versatile medium
valued for its quick-drying properties and vivid colours. This superb guide traces its development through the ages
and features works from many cultures and periods.From illuminated medieval manuscripts to Chinese fan
paintings
plant and animal studies to architectural drawings
caricatures to miniatures
there exists an astonishing variety of works in watercolour. It is with landscape painting
however
that the medium is most closely associated. Some of the earliest watercolour landscapes were created by the great German artist Albrecht Drer at the end of the 15th century
but the genre had its golden age in the first half of the 19th century
when Turner and other British artists produced dramatic works that looked ahead to abstract art in their exploration of colour and form.Featuring artists from graphic designers to the great masters
Watercolour explores the extraordinary potential of this most popular of all painting media.