Renaissance Watercolours, an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, presents for the first time watercolor during the Renaissance as a unified art form, highlighting its versatility and pivotal role in understanding, interpreting and documenting the natural world. It explores the development of watercolor, from manuscript illumination to depictions of people, places and nature that more closely resemble watercolors as we know them today.
During the Renaissance, an era of expanding horizons and cultural exchange, watercolor flourished across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Its versatility, portability and immediacy made it ideal for painting directly from life. It was also widely used for designs, copies, modelli, and cartoons. However, the Renaissance watercolor has never been considered as a coherent artistic genre and due to their light sensitivity, watercolors are seldom put on permanent display. This display offers a rare opportunity to experience these delicate objects. Here’s a sneak peek.
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