Famous Artists Facts

Here are 10 little-known facts about famous watercolour artists that reveal intriguing details about their lives, techniques, or contributions to the art world:

Albrecht Dürer’s Early Innovation: Often credited as one of the first European artists to elevate watercolour as a standalone medium, Dürer used it for more than just sketches. His painting Young Hare (1502) was so detailed that he included his monogram and date subtly hidden in the fur, showcasing his meticulousness and pride in the work.

William Blake’s Unusual Technique: Blake developed a unique method called “portable fresco,” where he applied watercolour over a gessoed surface (typically canvas or panel) to give his paintings a textured, almost sculptural quality. This was part of his effort to break from traditional engraving norms.

J.M.W. Turner’s Secret Sketches: Turner was known to carry small watercolour sketchbooks during his travels, but he kept many of these private. Over 19,000 sketches were discovered after his death, revealing experimental color studies and compositions he never intended for public display.

John Singer Sargent’s Dual Career: While famous for his grand oil portraits, Sargent considered watercolor his “relaxation” medium. He painted over 2,000 watercolours during his travels, often completing them in a single sitting to capture fleeting light effects—something he rarely did with oils.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s Early Abstraction: Before her iconic large-scale flower paintings, O’Keeffe created a series of abstract watercolours between 1916 and 1918. These works, like Blue #2, were so experimental that they puzzled even her mentor, Alfred Stieglitz, until she explained they reflected her emotional states.

Winslow Homer’s Fishing Obsession: Homer’s love for watercolour was tied to his passion for fishing. He often painted en plein air near rivers or coasts, and his tackle box doubled as a portable paint kit, blending his hobbies into his art practice.

John James Audubon’s Dark Method: Audubon’s stunning bird illustrations, like those in The Birds of America, were made possible by a grim technique: he shot and wired dead birds into lifelike poses to study their anatomy, a practice that contrasts with the delicate beauty of his watercolours.

Paul Cézanne’s Reluctant Mastery: Though known for oils, Cézanne turned to watercolour late in life as a way to “rest” from intense oil painting sessions. He produced over 150 watercolours, often leaving large areas of paper unpainted to let the white space act as light—a technique that influenced modernists.

Thomas Moran’s Yellowstone Impact: Moran’s watercolour sketches of Yellowstone were so vivid that they helped convince the U.S. Congress to establish it as the first national park in 1872. He painted many of these on-site, enduring harsh conditions to capture the landscape’s raw beauty.

Egon Schiele’s Brief Brilliance: Despite dying at age 28, Schiele created nearly 300 watercolours, often combining them with pencil or gouache for a striking effect. His works were so bold and sensual that some were deemed scandalous, and he was briefly imprisoned in 1912 for “public immorality.”

These facts highlight the quirks, innovations, and personal stories behind some of the most celebrated watercolourists, showing how their approaches to the medium were as diverse as their subjects.