American watercolors, 1880-1990 : into the light / edited by Joachim Homann, Margaret Morgan Grasselli, and Miriam Stewart ; with contributions by Horace D. Ballard, Elisa German, Margaret Morgan Grasselli, Joachim Homann, Penley Knipe, Miriam Stewart, and Richard Tuttle.
Includes bibliographical references. Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same title, held at Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, May 20-August 13, 2023.
Contents:
Changing light, reflected: a century of American watercolors at the Harvard Art Museums / Joachim Homann -- Wet-into-wet: passages of time and tradition before 1880 / Horace D. Ballard -- The new American medium watercolor of the late twentieth century / Elisa German -- Material matters / Penley Knipe and Miriam Stewart -- Six Sunday thoughts on my work with watercolor / Richard Tuttle.
Summary:
"Watercolor holds a special place in the history of American art. For generations of artists, the medium has provided a space for innovation and experimentation, allowing practitioners to let their imagination loose and to reflect on process and perception. Its rise to the status of fine art in the decades following the Civil War is well documented, yet its continued role as a testing ground and means of generating new ideas throughout the twentieth century has received comparatively less attention.This volume considers continuity and change in the American watercolor tradition over a century of production through the lens of the Harvard Art Museums' collection. Works by well-known watercolorists such as Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler are included, as well as surprising additions from Zelda Fitzgerald, Alexander Calder, Claes Oldenburg, and many others. In the spirit of the medium, the authors take a fluid and open-ended approach to the topic, offering both personal and scholarly reflections that invite readers to ponder the influence of these works on their own experience of the world. In addition to contextual essays, there are close readings of singular works and examinations of the unique material characteristics of the watercolor medium."--Distributor's website.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.