In the middle ages, monks used watermedia paints to illuminate pages of the Bible and other religious documents on sheets of parchment.
During the early Renaissance, about 1492, Albrecht Durer (German painter, printmaker and theorist) used watercolor both as studies for oil paintings, for paintings in Plein Air, and for creating finished paintings.
Watercolor painting came into being in Europe at the end of 15th century, became an independent painting type after the 18th century, and was introduced into China at the beginning of 20th century.
During 1750-1836 was the period where the watercolor began to be used across England. The use of watercolor by the military became increasingly important as England spread its colonization effort around the globe. Every Man-O-War had a botanist and a staff of officers whose job was to record and paint the local land and structures, the local population, the flowers, and fauna of any lands claimed for the crown.
It was not until Winslow Homer (American landscape painter) appeared, that watercolors became a medium to be handled directly on the spot in a broad manner. While these early water colors were used as a means of study from nature for subsequent oils, they came to have all the power contained in the heavier oil medium.
The techniques of watercolor painting include dry drawing method, wet drawing method, immerse connecting method, stippling method, color rendering method, and washing method and so on.
Watercolor in history
