The magic of watercolor: Exhibition of Graphic funds XVIII - early XX century
ARTinvestment.RU   29 мая 2008

Exhibition of Russian watercolor XVIII - early XX century, continues a series of exhibitions department schedules the Tretyakov Gallery on the techniques and materials of drawing

Water - one of the most difficult graphic techniques. Nearly avoiding alterations and corrections, it requires the artist's fidelity to his hands and eyes, virtuoso own color and form. The secret of the special visual properties lies in the transparency of watercolor paint layer, through which rays of light can penetrate. Free peretekanie tones, soft transitions and saturation of color harmony, the active role of the paper, its color and texture - all this tells watercolor or it is not comparable sophistication of artistic language. The present master of watercolor makes it possible to make a huge diversity of visual effects, nyuansirovki infinite shades of colors and contrasts.

Watercolor came to Russia from England in the XVIII century. Initially, it used as a technique for «illyuminirovaniya» prints and architectural drawings. Over time it evolved into a separate type of graphic art. Artists have realized its potential and developed a special, different from oil painting, figurative language. The development of art watercolors is not so much in the progressive evolution, but in the variety of manifestations in different periods for different artists. Every great artist has made it something unique, depending on the individual perception of life, drawn from his writing techniques.

The exposition includes more than 350 works by such recognized watercolourist as K. Briullov, AA Ivanov, VI Surikov, V. Serov, V. Borisov-Musatov, M . A. Vrubel. Among them, one can see the famous ceremonial and intimate portraits painted by KP Brullov and PF Sokolova, lists of biblical cycle A. Ivanov, a series of field types MN Vorobieva, Italian and Spanish landscapes VI Surikov , late of the VE Borisov-Musatov and MA Vrubel, including his famous «Rosa» (1904). A wide range of reference works, performed by masters mentioned above are in addition to lists of unknown wide audience of artists who expressed themselves only in the technique of watercolor. Among them - members of the Russian watercolourist.

Working in watercolors, painters often reveal a different side. As presented at the genre paintings and sketches of paintings artists Peredvizhniki the social dimension, the beginning of the storyline, household details recede into the background to the decorative beauty of the technology. Thus, landscape watercolors Kramskoy charmed by the nature of southern Italy and Spain, are usually severe restraint painter replaced easy, clear writing, lyrical sense. Full-scale landscape painters «World of Art» - MV Dobuzhinsky, KA Somov, A. Benoit - show they are not only masters of an elegant graphic style and fantasy in historical themes, but also subtle observer of nature.

A great deal of interest presents a series of monochrome works, done in sepia - a special form of graphical techniques, where the organic coloring pigment divorces in the water as well as watercolor. The most advanced of these works of outstanding painters landscape sepia FA Vasiliev and I. Levitan.

The exhibition is open from 28 May to 9 November 2008. Address: Lavrushinsky trans., 10, room schedules

Source : www.tretyakovgallery.ru