The foreshadowing of the watercolourists
Country Life UK|January 20, 2021
Huon Mallalieu finds both the familiar and some unexpected, exquisite discoveries among the forerunners of the English School
Huon Mallalieu
The foreshadowing of the watercolourists

IT has often been said that the English have been preeminent in two branches of the Arts: poetry and watercolour painting. As do all simplifications, that contains a grain of truth, even if poets have been held in suspicion by some English people and watercolour assumed to be a medium for amateurs. The great years of the English School ran from about 1750 to 1850 and the best practitioners gave their work an impact fully equal to oil paintings. I use ‘English’ deliberately here, as, until the 19th century, Scottish and Irish artists were adjuncts to the English School.

The Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars that preoccupied the central years of that period meant the painters’ innovations were achieved in isolation and came as a revelation to their Continental brethren after 1814. Even if one restricts the discussion to Europe, this does not mean that watercolour was a purely English invention; as with many inventions, it had diverse progenitors and was foreshadowed in different times and places. This is what makes the paused display ‘Renaissance Watercolours’ at the V&A Museum so interesting. I was lucky enough to see it before London went into Tier 4, when I was able to enjoy it almost by myself.

Purists of the English School insisted only translucent colours be used, so highlights came through the washes from the paper, rather than an admixture of opaque pigment, sometimes with a white filler such as chalk, known as gouache or body colour. Such rigid discrimination is now long past and, as with so much else, medium is a matter of individual choice. Gouache is itself water-based and represents one of the essential bloodlines of what became watercolour painting.

Esta historia es de la edición January 20, 2021 de Country Life UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición January 20, 2021 de Country Life UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE COUNTRY LIFE UKVer todo
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
Country Life UK

Kitchen garden cook - Apples

'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
The original Mr Rochester
Country Life UK

The original Mr Rochester

Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre

time-read
5 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Get it write
Country Life UK

Get it write

Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution

time-read
6 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
'Sloes hath ben my food'
Country Life UK

'Sloes hath ben my food'

A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Souvenirs of greatness
Country Life UK

Souvenirs of greatness

FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Plants for plants' sake
Country Life UK

Plants for plants' sake

The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Capturing the castle
Country Life UK

Capturing the castle

Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker

time-read
6 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Nature's own cathedral
Country Life UK

Nature's own cathedral

Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods

time-read
5 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
All that money could buy
Country Life UK

All that money could buy

A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages

time-read
8 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
In with the old
Country Life UK

In with the old

Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery

time-read
5 minutos  |
October 23, 2024