Watercolour week: documenting the world
Five-day practical and theoretical course
2 September 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm3 September 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm4 September 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm5 September 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm6 September 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£1,500. This price has been reduced from £1,800 thanks to a grant from the Marandi Foundation. Includes all materials, light refreshments, and wine receptions throughout the week.
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Terms and conditions
Join us for a week-long practical and theoretical art course dedicated to the remarkable medium of watercolour, with a focus on topographical painting.
How do you record the world around you? For centuries, the solution was to use watercolour. The medium, which consists of water-soluble pigments applied to natural or man-made materials, has a long history but became particularly popular in Europe during the 18th century. In an age characterised by travel, the portable, lightweight medium emerged as the perfect way to document the places and cultures that people encountered around the world.
Watercolour was not only a medium for professional artists. Botanists, zoologists and geologists used it to record their ideas and discoveries; military painters made records of combat operations and uncharted territories; explorers packed sketchbooks and paints alongside their daily supplies; women and men recorded details of their daily lives that else might never have been set down on paper. As a result, historical watercolours are some of the most important and interesting records we have of how the world looked and was understood in the years before photography.
Many of these earlier watercolour paintings are topographical, in the sense that they accurately record natural and man-made environments. But as many 19th-century artists including J.M.W. Turner RA understood, these documentary images could also capture the intangible mood and atmosphere of a place or event more intimately than most photographs.
Led by international artists, with supplementary lectures from leading art-world experts, this five-day course will enable you to capture the world around you quickly, effectively and with confidence in watercolour whilst uncovering the medium’s history. With reference to the Academy’s collection of works on paper, it will introduce the techniques and methods you need to understand the medium, with sessions on topography, perspective, architectural sketching, and drawing people from life. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore Piccadilly to draw, paint and record London’s iconic buildings, everyday scenes and remarkable sights.
This course is kindly supported by The Marandi Foundation in association with The Watercolour World.
My business is to paint what I see!
J.M.W. Turner RA (1775 – 1851)
Further information
The Watercolour World is a UK-registered charity dedicated to the preservation and celebration of documentary and topographical watercolours. Its core project is to create a comprehensive visual record of the world before photography by aggregating digital images of pre-1900 watercolours onto a free, geographically indexed website. The charity also encourages and assists with the digitisation of watercolours in public and private collections and engages with the public to revive interest in this important medium. The TWW website launched with an event at the Royal Academy in January 2019. It is wholly funded by The Marandi Foundation, a London-based charity which supports children’s health and education, and cultural history and art.
This five-day intensive course introduces you to the tools and techniques of watercolour painting with a focus on topographical forms as well as the handling of perspective and recording of architecture, nature and people.
With reference to the Academy’s unique collection of works on paper, this course will provide participants with both historical and practical knowledge about topographical record making. As well as introducing key historical works and artistic approaches, the workshop will move into the streets and squares of Piccadilly.
This course is for anyone with an interest in the history, theory and practice of watercolour painting, regardless of experience. We welcome people with no prior artistic experience as well as those who would like to extend their existing skills with a focused narrative.
Minimum age 18
Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs.
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor.
Price: £1,800
Monday 2 - Friday 6 September 2019
10.30am-5.30pm each day
Includes:
• Exclusive access to the Royal Academy’s new Clore Learning Centre throughout the week, a brand new dedicated learning space
• All specialist, practical art materials, as selected by the course leaders and guest speakers
• Refreshments during each day
• Drinks receptions throughout the week
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
Our courses and classes programme
Our varied programme of short courses and classes provides an opportunity to explore subjects ranging from life drawing to the history of exhibitions and arts management, led by expert tutors and practising artists. These courses introduce traditional art-making processes, as well as perspectives on art history, theory and business.
Give this course as a gift
All of our courses can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member – giving the gift of education and a remarkable experience. To arrange a personalised Gift Voucher, please contact Anna Pojer, Academic Programmes Manager, by calling 020 7300 5684 or email anna.pojer@royalacademy.org.uk