An ambitious ‘watercolour’ exhibition at Tate Britain

‘Watercolour’ is a series on view at Tate Britain that invites viewers to challenge their preconceptions of what the medium is. The world renowned gallery presents a fresh and holistic assessment of the history of watercolor painting in Britain right from its rise in the Middle Ages through to the present times. There are works by William Blake, JMW Turner and Thomas Girtin, as well as by modern & contemporary artists like Patrick Heron, Peter Doig and Tracey Emin.

A press release elaborates: “Drawing out a grand history that traces the origins of watercolor back to medieval illuminated manuscripts, the exhibit reassesses the commonly held belief that the medium first flourished during a ‘golden age’ of British watercolor, from around 1750-1850. It reveals an older tradition, and also challenges the notion that watercolor is singularly British by showcasing key pieces from continental Europe that influenced British artists."

This ambitious exhibit is comprised of works spanning almost 800 years, acting as a boundary-breaking survey that celebrates the full glory and variety of wonderful ways watercolor has been used. From miniatures, maps and manuscripts through to works displaying the expressive visual splendor of landscapes, watercolor has always played a part in visual Art.

The show offers a great chance to check some rarely displayed works in their luminous glory, by artists from different eras. It presents a fresh assessment on the history, present and future of watercolor painting. The aim is to question our perceptions on what watercolor as a medium really stands for, through famous and even lesser-known works presented side by side, to bring this universal and enduring medium back to the center stage.

This is an exhibit that, says its curator Alison Smith, ‘concerns the history of watercolor in the UK and the medium’s association with very British identity.’ Of course, there are artists from other countries as well. Kallat is Indian, Wittwer Swiss; with them, as with Anish Kapoor’s sculptural painting or Black’s cellophane extravaganza, Tate is demonstrating that, both geographically and formally, watercolor can be anything, anywhere.