Began when prehistoric humans painted cave walls

Used mixtures of ochre, charcoal and other pigments found in nature

Created visual representations of the wild beasts encountered in the world around them

From this primitive beginning, innovations, such as the development of paper, the improvements in pigments and the awareness of aesthetic techniques, contributed to the growth of watercolor as a fine art medium

Prehistoric Cave Paintings

12th century- advancements in Chinese papermaking and decorative spread of watercolor in Europe

European artists were preparing own watercolor mixtures by grinding pigments

Sistine Chapel- famous example of one of the first fresco’s that used watercolor as a fine art

Sistine Chapel Vatican City, Italy

Painted by Michaelangelo

Painted in 1508-1512

TEN

10

Avery's work is crucial to American abstract painting. Avery defied conventional perspective in order to create representational, but highly abstract paintings.

His work was initially rejected as being too abstract or out of the norm. Later, as abstract expressionism took hold in America, he work was considered too representational.

Morning Workout

1955

ROSES BY THE SEA

9

Studied painting and developed his understanding post-impressionism in Paris. Upon his return, he became associated with a group of artists known as The Eight, who championed a more progressive approach to art.

Well known for strokes of vivid colors in intricate, decorative patterns that draw attention to the picture's surface.

Bathing, Marblehead

1897

8 Arthur Dove is known as one of

America’s first true abstract artists. His paintings depict the American landscape through a reductionist’s approach of bringing the forms down to their essence. There is a quality of nature that stays within the work even as the forms and shapes take on more non-representational aspects.

Goat, ca. 1934

7

Demuth is known for his cubist style works depicting the Pennsylvania landscape and cityscapes. He studied at the Drexel Institute of Art and later at the Pennsylvania Institute of Art and Academy of Fine Art. He developed his own precisionist style of painting.

Trees & Barns: Bermuda

6

Eakins was a native born artist who is best known for his starkly realistic paintings.

John Biglin in a Single Scull, ca.

1873

5

Wyeth was the son of the famous illustrator, N.C Wyeth. He was a child prodigy who quickly developed a reputation for detailed realism. Wyeth focused his career on depicting the landscape and people around Chadd’sFord Pennsylvania and his summer home in Cushing, Maine. Wyeth’s regionalist style captured the gritty ruggedness of both people and land.

4

Her paintings show an economy of detail with an emphasis on form, color, and shadow and exude of sense of Modernism. She worked both representationally and abstractly to reveal a unique vision of the southwest. Most noteworthy are her large floral paintings.

Untitled, 1917

3

Marin travelled to Europe from 1905 to 1910 and returned to America after being influence by the works of Cezanne. He interpreted New York through an abstract watercolor style, the likes of which had not been previously seen in America.

Sunset, 1922

2

Venetian Canal, 1913

1

Winslow Homer was a self-taught artist and illustrator who worked as a documentary artist during the Civil War. After a visit to France where Homer was exposed to the work of Barbizon School of painters, Homer adopted his mature style and sense of Realism. He later moved to Maine, where he painted several marine style landscapes.