Watercolour Styles Week 3 - Impresionists

Its week 3 of our journey into watercolour styles and we approach the impressionist-inspired approach. 

So what is Impressionism?

Developed in the late 19th century, primarily in Paris this is a style that celebrates light above all and is characterised by visible brush strokes with an open composition, often captured on scene and painted en plain air. It was all about capturing the scene as it is now.

This was a style that very much evolved from the English Landscape scene that I covered in our first in this series and J M W Turner was one of the precursors to this whole movement. 

It was initially poorly received as one of the characteristics was a much more free approach that was traditional, featuring brush strokes of colour to suggest shape rather than lines and contours from the more traditional paintings of the time.

What are the characteristics of Impressionism

• Suggestion over description: Details are left out or hinted at leaving the viewer’s imagination to fill in the gaps.

• Broken colour and lively brushwork: Colours are often placed side by side rather than blended, creating vibrancy and energy.

• Strong value design: The compositions tend to rely on clear areas of light, mids, and dark so the painting reads well from a distance.

• Speed and spontaneity: Paintings are created quickly, often in a single session and ofter on scene outside, in an attempt to capture the freshness of the scene.

• Focus on atmosphere: The overall feeling or mood is more important than accurate representation and Is achieved through the focus on what the ligt is doing.

A few historic names to explore

• Claude Monet: One of the founders of the movement and likely one of the most well known. Prolific in the later half on the 19th century his painting 'impression - sunrise' pictured below was the namesake of the whole movement.
  Monet often painted the same scene at different times of the day and year to try and see how the light changed and altered the scenes. Look for the 25 canvas set of 'haystacks' as some examples.

• Camille Pissaro: Another of the founders of the movement, Pissaro was the oldest and is often cited as being key in keeping the group together, encouraging fellow artists and advancing the style. Whilst a lot of his images (like many of the originators) are oil on canvas rather than watercolour they remain wonderful examples of the style.

Hyde Park

• John Singer Sargent: Famed for his sparkling, confident watercolours, Sargent’s work bursts with light and effortless brushwork. His paintings often feel immediate and alive. His career spanned a number of stages, with a strong early emphasis on portraiture, however for a good example of his watercolours, have a look at his Venice Watercolour studies:

Gondola siesta

Fancy having a go?

1. Choose a simple scene, something as sample as a view from your window.
2. Paint it using only three values: light, mid, and dark.Try not to focus on details but more on the shapes of the different values
3. Work quickly and try to finish in 15 minutes to keep your painting fresh and lively.

Remember, the goal is to capture the impression, not the exact likeness.

Happy Painting!

Martin