- What are the global trends in watercolor art?
- What is most valued in watercolor?
- Who is the most popular artist in the world?
Perhaps the best answer to this question is I International Watercolor Competition(The 1st World Watercolor Competition), held by the popular magazine "The Art of Watercolour".
1615 artists took part in the competition. 1891 watercolors were submitted. The jury selected first 295 semi-finalists and then 23 finalists. 7 artists were awarded prizes of the winners.
The works of all participants are printed in the contest catalog.
And this gives a wonderful opportunity to see the “face” - the best watercolors of 2014.
First of all, looking through the catalog, I saw the following:
The world's best watercolors: main trends
Landscapes, as always, in the majority. Especially city ones. And if they are somehow unusually presented, they may well end up in the final.
Like this work by William Hook, an artist from the USA:
One of the most popular themes are portraits of the elderly.
I would like to think that this is from universal love and respect for the elderly, from interest in their lives from the desire to understand how they live, to see the imprint of time on their faces.
Here are a couple of catalog pages:
Or maybe the topic is raised by many, because the artist is a reflection public consciousness. And often artists reflect acute social problems in their paintings...
Yes, the topic of national minorities and emigrants, by the way, also often pops up…
Be that as it may, among the 7 works of the winners, two are portraits of old people.
First place, winner of the competition - Cheng-Wen Cheng, an artist from Taiwan with the painting "Loving Mother":
The silver medal of the competition went to the Chinese artist Guan Weixing for the painting “Smoking Old Man”:
Are you already wondering who got the Bronze medal?..
In third place - (rejoice in the Middle Kingdom!) Chinese artist Liu Yi. I suppose many are familiar with his work on compositions with ballerinas.
The work “Chinese Girl” was presented at the competition:
I don't know about you, but I see it good sign. East and West become closer friend friend. Oriental artists paint in the traditional European manner, while Europeans, on the contrary, study gohua and sumi-e, draw geisha and sakura... There are also such examples in the catalog.
Here, for example, is a watercolor by the Argentinean artist Stella Escalante:
By the way, another observation - VERY few watercolors with flowers. The entire catalog with more than 1800 works and 30 pieces will not be typed ...
Moreover, most of them are in the second part of the catalog, “in the slag”, as I called it. And how else to call the screened authors, whose watercolors did not qualify for the semi-finals? Sludge is there.
My work, by the way, is also in this row ... 🙂 Here are a couple of these “gray” pages, opened at random:
On the gray pages, for the most part, there are some amateur works, with a poor drawing and poor technique.
However, there are some very good famous artists. But the jury did not appreciate them.
It was hard for him, the jury... It's always a question - how to judge? What to take as a measure?
And if everything is clear with a weak drawing and composition as a whole, there are no questions - immediately into the slag, then among professionals you already have to think.
What to prioritize? Socially significant topics? Realism? Technological innovation? Or, on the contrary, fidelity to traditions?
Of course, artists ask the same questions. Participation in the competition is an opportunity to look at your work from the outside. Who am I? Where am I going? Where am I among other artists? Are people interested in what I am interested in?
It was these questions that prompted me to submit watercolors that are not completely clear to me myself. This is energy painting. Works that preserve a certain energy-information component.
Marina Trushnikova. "Crystal World"
I showed this watercolor on my blog a year ago. You may remember the practice I suggested. There were a lot of comments that made me understand that people are now more sensitive in their perception. And what we call abstraction can give us the most different feelings and memories.
Unfortunately, with the change of the site, the comments also disappeared. If you want, try this practice for yourself, write your impressions. It's here:
And we will return to the “white” and “black” pages of the catalog.
The best watercolors, the works of the semi-finalists, are placed on the white ones. It was nice to see Konstantin Sterkhov, Evgeny Kisnichan, Ilya Ibryaev there.
And it was even more pleasant to see our compatriots Elena Bazanova and Dmitry Rodzin among the 23 finalists.
Elena Bazanova. “End of winter 2012. Apples”
Dmitry Rodzin. "Summer"
As you can see most of the finalists' works are very realistic.
Here, for example, is a watercolor by the Lithuanian artist Egle Lipeikaite:
Or here is the Frenchman Georges Artaud, he received a prize in the nomination “Best French Artist”:
It's like meditation on water... I like it. Everything is more pleasant than looking at the work of another finalist, American artist Andrew Kish III.
A cure for those who are tired of trash and fuss. In a world where tons of informational garbage is dumped on us every day, sometimes you really want to get rid of everything, take a deep breath and fix your eyes on something calm that does not cause any irritation and discomfort. We believe that best holiday for the mind and vision - this is an immersion in the world of art. In this review, we have collected such works of watercolors that will fill you with silence and become a sip fresh air on a hot city day.
Journey to Paris with Thierry Duval
Paris-born artist Thierry Duval has traveled extensively. Hence the presence of entire series of paintings “on a geographical basis”. Nevertheless, the author's favorite place was and remains Paris. The lion's share of works is dedicated to the city of lovers. Duval paints exclusively in watercolor. At the same time, he has his own technique of multilayer paint application, which allows him to create paintings with almost hyper-realistic detail. Hot Afternoon Kanta Harusaki
Harusaki Kanta (Kanta Harusaki) - Japanese watercolorist, born in Kumamoto, began working in watercolor at the age of 32 years. Harusaki likes to paint using the "wet brush" but keeping the drawing straight. He knows how to masterfully and reliably convey the most transparent light color, as well as light and space. Spectators admire the artist's ability to convey the clear contours of highlights and foliage, combining this with the "wet" technique. Living water by David Drummond
David Drummond is an American artist who fell in love with the Powell Reservoir landscape 20 years ago. Now he does not get tired of exploring every corner of this amazing place and capturing it with watercolors. Drummond is interested in different states of water, the "mood" of nature and changes in it. As a holder of a degree in physics, Drummond approaches creativity with all scientific responsibility, which is why his watercolors seem so alive and realistic. Country Morning by Christian Granu
Frenchman Christian Graniou often depicts provincial landscapes in his paintings. Although detailed drawing he is not attracted, and the light is distributed throughout the space, the artist's works evoke a feeling of spaciousness and fullness of air. Evening Calm by Joseph Zbukvic
Today, Croatian-born Australian Joseph Zbukvic is considered one of the pillars of watercolor drawing worldwide. The artist fell in love with watercolor literally from the first stroke, he was struck by the innocence and individuality of this technique. He thinks she lives own life. It is impossible to learn, there is no way to control the behavior of watercolor. Just drive around like a wild horse. And every day again. Publication date: 12/23/2016
Is in watercolor technique some special - fragile charm, lightness and weightlessness, the ability to amazingly accurately convey the swiftness and fleetingness of the moment. Contemporary painters love watercolor. This technique is ideal for a dynamic, rapidly changing world before our eyes. In this review, we offer you a selection of the most famous watercolor artists who have achieved high altitudes in the art of watercolor and gained worldwide popularity.
The most famous Australian artist working in watercolor. There is a museum in Zagreb named after him. The fact is that the artist was born in Croatia (in 1952), but at the age of 18 he emigrated to Australia with his family.
At the University of Melbourne he studied Industrial Design, and later received its first awards and worldwide recognition. Croats are very proud of their eminent countryman. In many art stores in Europe, you can find brushes marked with his name for sale.
The secret of the artist's success, according to him own confession, in that he never makes paintings for sale, but creates exclusively for his own pleasure. The works of D. Zbukvich can be seen in leading galleries around the world (USA, UK, Australia, China).
His trademark is “Z” (the first letter of his last name). He teaches his students freedom, and compares watercolor to a wild, unbridled horse that can never be truly tamed. He confesses his love for her, as for the most beloved woman, and this love has lasted for 40 years.
The artist does not like pure black, saying that black is not a color, but its absence. Favorite topic - seascape and city views. One of the most unusual watercolors, which the master created, is written with just one paint - and this paint is instant coffee.
This artist just loves to write beautiful women and small children surrounded by sunlight. His paintings are sensual, sometimes overtly sexual, full of harmony and very realistic.
Sometimes they resemble skillful photographs. He likes to paint women against the backdrop of water landscapes, the water element is especially realistic for the artist.
Steve Hanks was born in 1949 in California and from childhood fell in love with the ocean, because he spent quite a lot of time on its coast. Graduated with honors art academy in San Francisco.
Mine own style the artist calls emotional realism". Included in the top 10 most famous American artists. He says about himself that he paints people, but not portraits.
He loves to write sunlight, which is one of the main actors his watercolors. At first, the artist tried to work with different techniques- oil, acrylic. But later he was forced to switch to work only with watercolors, as he was allergic to paints.
After all, he has achieved such mastery in watercolor painting which made this technique very similar to oil painting.
Born in 1953 in Ohio. Studied painting in Philadelphia art school. The hobby of this artist is portraits.
She draws amazing watercolor portraits most different people- poor people, workers, children, old women and old men, beautiful African American girls in flowering, sun-drenched meadows.
A whole gallery of modern American faces. Very bright, juicy and sunny watercolors full of deep meaning. They depict people in the most ordinary situations, busy with everyday activities.
The artist considers the ability to accurately convey emotions to be the main thing in her work. Simply masterfully copying things and people is not enough.
The artist works in two techniques - in oil and watercolor. It was watercolor that brought her fame and recognition around the world. Mary White also successfully illustrates children's books.
He is called the French realist. The artist was born in 1962 in Paris. IN currently works as an illustrator in one of the publishing houses. Received an education in the field of arts and crafts.
He paints exclusively in watercolor, using his own technique of applying multi-layer paints, due to which he achieves incredible realism of his work. Likes to work on individual accents.
Careful elaboration of details is the artist's favorite technique, his trademark. My favorite topic is the urban landscape. The artist loves to paint his native Paris and Venice. His watercolors are imbued with romanticism and charm. Eugene Delacroix considers his teacher in painting.
Among the winners International Competition watercolor artists in 2014 were two representatives of Russia, whose work we will see today.
Elena Bazanova is a world-famous artist working in watercolor technique.
Born in 1968 in the city of Slantsy, Leningrad Region.
Graduated from the St. Petersburg Academic Art Lyceum. B.V. Ioganson and State Academy painting, sculpture and architecture named after I.E. Repin (workshop of book graphics).
Since 1989, he has been actively working with publishing houses in St. Petersburg, since 1996 he has been illustrating publications for children.
Since 1995 - a member of the Union of Artists of Russia.
Since 2006 - a member of the Society of Watercolorists of St. Petersburg.
Works are in galleries and private collections in Russia, Germany, USA, France, England, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan.
The works were submitted for the competition.
Winter. Apples.
Now Elena is a member of the Society of Watercolorists of St. Petersburg, regularly participating in seasonal exhibitions of the Union of Artists, actively exhibiting both in Russia and abroad (in the UK, Germany, USA, Ireland). She has seven personal and participation in more than fifty collective exhibitions in Russia.
Since 2006 - a member of the Society of Watercolorists of St. Petersburg.
Three apples.
Elena Bazanova talks about her work in this way.
— Why did you choose watercolor?
It seems to me that I feel this material, this allows me to reveal its features in very complex pictorial tasks. It is this tension in the work that seems attractive to me, to control the elements of water and paint is the most exciting and intriguing thing in watercolor painting.
Bouquet of wild strawberries.
Still life with corn
What technologies are you still working on?
Thanks to my education, I have mastered a variety of techniques. Of course, I don’t use all of them all the time, unfortunately it’s impossible to embrace the immensity. I like to make drawings with soft materials, when illustrating books I often use ink, pen and colored pencils. 
Daylilies.
Three apples.
sunflowers
climatis
— What is your favorite still life genre? What about landscapes and portraits?
Yes, Lately I work a lot in the still life genre. I also paint portraits of animals. I really want to do new series landscapes and work with portraits of people. So my plans are to expand the boundaries of the genre.
Study with strawberries.
Still life
You have illustrated alice in wonderland With". These works are not at all like your still lifes.
I do not consider myself to be an artist who constantly imposes his style on the subject being depicted, on the illustrated book. I move along the path of creating an image, based on the essence of what is the subject of the image or illustration. From this, various plastic solutions appear. The illustration should not create a barrier to the perception of the text, especially in a children's book.
My experience in book illustration big enough. Starting from student projects, I tried to achieve the maximum unity of illustrations with the text and the idea of the author.
Still life with red currant.
Peas. 
Still life with peaches
Cherry 
Dusya
:
Dmitry Rodzin was born in 1969 in Krasnodar.
In 1988 he graduated from the Krasnodar Art College.
1991-1997 - studied at Russian Academy painting, sculpture and architecture workshop history painting (graduate work- "The expulsion of merchants from the temple").
Among the works are historical and genre compositions, portraits, landscapes, still lifes, interior design, book graphics.
Participated in exhibitions since 1993.
Personal exhibition "After the tradition" was held in 2002 in the branch of the State Central Theater Museum named after. A.A. Bakhrushin (Moscow).
Currently lives and works in Moscow.
The work was presented at the competition.
Summer. Xenia and Sonya.
Live lilies, dry roses and netsuke
Sonya.
Rest.
Children's images are one of Dmitry's favorite themes. In his paintings - thoughts and emotions little man, his growing up, the beginning of the knowledge of the world. In a number of watercolors, the artist develops the theme of reflections. They create a double illusion: the illusion of three-dimensionality in a two-dimensional mirror and the illusion of three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional sheet of paper.
Autumn
Curiosity.
Windows
Cross.
Birthday
Petunia.
Just an etude.
From shadow to light.
Izmailovsky park. February
Arbat.
Chernigovsky lane.
Dmitry Rodzin works a lot in the genre monumental painting. His paintings are located, in particular, in the residence of the President Russian Federation, the Reception House of the President of the Russian Federation, the residence of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Convent.
Sources.
http://cleargallery.ru/gallery/open/aid-223
The faces of people in most of the artist's paintings are darkened or turned to the side. This is done in order to express emotions and for the body to "speak". “I have always tried to show the world only the positive moments of life. I hope that my work brings joy, peace and comfort to the life of the viewer,” says Hanks.
Rainy watercolor Lin Ching Che
Talented artist Lin Ching-Che is 27 years old. He is inspired by autumn rain. Cloudy city streets cause the guy not longing and despondency, but a desire to pick up a brush. Lin Ching Che paints watercolor paintings. With colorful water, it sings of the rainy beauty of megacities.
Boiling fantasy of Arush Votsmush
Under the pseudonym Arush Votsmush hides talented artist from Sevastopol Alexander Shumtsov. The artist says this about his paintings: “I am not trying to prove anything to anyone with my work. First of all, I enjoy. It is pure creativity drug. Or a pure life - without doping. It's just a miracle."
The charm of Paris in the works of Thierry Duval
Paris-born artist Thierry Duval has traveled extensively. Hence the presence of entire series of paintings on a "geographical basis". Nevertheless, the author's favorite place was and remains Paris. The lion's share of works is dedicated to the city of lovers. He has his own technique of layering watercolor, which allows him to create paintings with almost hyper-realistic detail.
Evening Calm by Joseph Zbukvic
Today, Croatian-born Australian Joseph Zbukvic is considered one of the pillars of watercolor painting in the world. The artist fell in love with watercolor literally from the first stroke, he was struck by the innocence and individuality of this technique.
Secrets of the East through the eyes of Myo Wing Ong
The artist Myoe Win Aung devoted all his work to his native Burma, its everyday life and holidays, lay people and monks, towns and cities. This world is calm, dressed in gentle tones, mysterious and slightly pensive, like the smile of Buddha.
Incredible watercolor by Joe Francis Dowden
English artist Joe Francis Dowden paints hyper-realistic watercolors. And he believes that everyone can do it, you just need to know the secrets of technology. The secret of his inspiration is extremely simple: "Throw away watercolor textbooks and get lost in a real forest."
The Magic of Ballet by Liu Yi
The watercolors of this Chinese artist can be safely called art about art. After all, his favorite topic is the images of people who are directly related to him - for example, ballerinas or classical musicians. The way they are presented in the paintings is peculiar: people seem to emerge from a thin haze, emotional and very characteristic. To some extent, they echo the images of ballerinas. french artist Edgar Degas.
Solar painting by Abe Toshiyuki
Abe Toshiyuki (Abe Toshiyuki) received an art education and devoted 20 years to teaching, not for a moment leaving the dream of becoming an artist. In 2008, he finally abandoned the teaching profession and devoted himself entirely to creative self-realization.
Country Morning by Christian Granu
French Christian Granu
