Watercolour in Great Britain from the 1750s to the 1850s The Golden Age of a ‘new’ genre

A short introduction Watercolours were used since the ancient times, although in Europe this technique was used in the Middle Ages to decorate illuminated manuscripts and maps and then in the Renaissance to study portrait miniatures and nature.

Pigments and gum arabic Illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages

Outline A variety of purpose and the exploration of watercolours Landscapes: Models per excellence An artistic conflict with oil-painting

I) A variety of purpose and the exploration of watercolours The successful use of watercolours partly finds its roots in practical reasons, namely its easy portability and quick drying. Watercolours would serve for topography (recording of a place) as commissioned by the military, for scientific studies, and even for tourism and for records of travels and of explorations.

Surveying Party by Kinloch Rannoch (1749) Paul Sandy (1731-1809)

Interior of a Cairo School (1865) John Frederick Lewis (1804- 1876)

Watercolour painting tackles everyday life and the domestic sphere for instance through still life painting. Although this would seem rather simple, it is this very characteristic that patrons appreciated and most of all they were demonstrations of the artist’s skills. Another theme in watercolour painting, with a more social aspect – especially in the English society at the time –, was flower painting delivered by women.

Rabbits (1819-1896) John Sherrin (1819-1896)

Blackberry Blossom (ca. 1867-1912) Mary Butler (1867-1912)

II) Landscapes: Models per excellence From then on, British watercolours were mostly associated with landscapes and artists such as Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) and Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). The set of elements that could be used and were seen as appropriate to depict landscapes drew from the codification of the ‘Picturesque’ in British landscapes (cf. William Gilpin’s Observations on the River Wye, 1770).

Picturesque: ‘The word picturesque refers to an ideal type of landscape that has an artistic appeal, in that it is beautiful but also with some elements of wildness’ (Tate). Alexander Cozens (1717-1786) introduced three categories in the codification of landscape painting namely ‘Composition’, ‘Objects’, and ‘Circumstance’. He claimed that each category was supposed to arouse particular emotions. The last category is concerned with weather and then sky, an essential element in landscape painting.

Tynemouth Priory from the Sea (1797) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)

Vesuvius in Eruption (1817-1820) Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)

Appledore, Devon (1798) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)

III) An artistic conflict with oil-painting The Royal Academy considered watercolour as a lower quality art and granted it only a secondary status in comparison with oil painting works. Besides, a mere representation of an ordinary landscape could not compete with the demanding realisation of an aesthetic portrait. As a matter of fact, watercolours and oil paintings were exhibited on separate walls.

In response to this, watercolour artists founded their own societies: in 1804: the Society of Painters in Water-Colours (the Old Water Colour Society), later designed ‘Royal’ by Queen Victoria in 1881 in 1807 (until 1812): a group of painters from the previous society formed a rival society, the New Society of Painters in Miniature and Water-Colours, also known as the Associated Artists in Water-Colours, and renamed the Associated Painters in Water-Colours in 1810 in 1831: conflicts among the Old Society led to the birth of the New Society of Painters in Water-Colours, which is now known as the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours

Conclusion Watercolour in Britain came to a Golden Age thanks to its increasing success mostly through landscapes. Landscapes depict ordinary situation that were probably familiar to all, which may explain its popularity among all social classes and all genders. The picturesque representation of landscapes is likely to combine real facts and added elements in order to mix ideal and wilderness. Similarly, a precise codification in the composition would be essential to arouse specific emotions (e.g. the colours and aspects of the sky to set a melancholic/dramatic/peaceful atmosphere).

References I Patricia Crown (Dr), The Golden Age of British Watercolour in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Available on: http://www.watercolorusahonorsociety.org/wp- content/uploads/2015/09/golden_age_of_british_watercolor_crown.pdf Victoria and Albert Museum, British Watercolours 1750-1900. Available on: < http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/b/british-watercolours-1750-1900/> British Museum, British Watercolours. Available on: <http://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/British%20Watercolours.pdf> Thames & Hudson, A Lost olden Age of British Watercolour Landscapes is Rediscovered at the British Museum. Available on: < https://thamesandhudson.com/news/a-lost-golden-age-of-british-watercolour- landscapes-is-rediscovered-at-the-british-museum/> Mall Galleries, History of Watercolours. Available on: < https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/learning/resources/history-watercolours>

References II Metropolitan Museum of Art, Watercolor Painting in Britain, 1750-1850. Available on: < https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bwtr/hd_bwtr.htm> Tate, Picturesque. Available on: < http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art- terms/p/picturesque> Visual Arts, Cork, English Landscape Painting. Available on: < http://www.visual- arts-cork.com/history-of-art/english-landscape-painting.htm#watercolourists> The Guardian, Watercolour at Tate Britain – review. Available on: < http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/english-landscape- painting.htm#watercolourists>